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Where to sign up for testing!

One of the main benefits of being on campus this term has been the COVID testing. With health being a high priority on the mind of many students (and their parents), I know that I am thankful for this aspect of the Winter term. And since it seems like I am getting well-versed with the health system on campus (check out this post to see how it was to be in quarantine on campus), I decided to write about the testing procedure that every student must do on campus.

The first step students and faculty must take in the COVID testing process are to schedule an appointment online. This term, students are supposed to be tested two days a week a couple of days apart. To sign up is very simple; all we have to do is check what date we want to get tested and what time works best. There are a ton of times available, so I can easily find times around my classes and clubs. 

Then comes the fun part.

This term, students, and faculty take their COVID tests in Thompson Area, which is where the hockey team plays. It is on the east side of campus, so I get a good walk in there and back. When I get to Thompson, I scan my ID and wait in line (there usually isn't a long line, and sometimes there isn't even one). Then, I go up to one of the healthcare workers, who gives me a test tube with my name and contact information. Then I do my test.

Thompson Area, where we do our tests
Thompson Area, where we do our tests!

The test is very simple, and it is self-administered. We get a cotton swab that is a couple of inches long, and we have to put it up our nostril and swirl it around four times. Then we hold it for ten seconds, then repeat in the other nostril. As someone who has taken COVID tests back home, in which it is not self-administered and instead uses a much longer stick, this test is less irritating. We then put the cotton swab in the tube we got and head out.

And that's that! The testing is a very quick process, and the best part is we get our results back quickly; sometimes the same day. For someone who struggles with the anxiety of potentially having COVID, it is nice to have consistent knowledge of my current health, enabling me to have a peace of mind to focus on classes!

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