OK, *now* we're in trouble ...

[rslade]

For some reason, on the Johns Hopkins CoVID-19 dashboard, Canada, as a country, has disappeared.  (If you switch to the province/state/dependency mode, the individual provinces with infections still show up.)

This is disturbing, for someone who lives there ...

[rslade]

So, even though I have no symptoms other than fatigue, my doctor wants me to get tested. There is one (1) testing location on the North Shore. There is no available street parking around it. There is no street parking longer than one hour four three blocks in any direction. There is some pay parking a few blocks away, but you have to pay in advance (and thus know how long you are going to need to park). (I could take the bus, of course, but, these days, you have to factor that as an extra risk.)

I got down and parked in a one hour spot. Walked over. There is a serious lack of signage outside or at the doors of the building. None. Inside I did see a lineup of people, which I took to be a positive sign. Then, eventually, a staffer came along and told me that a) the lineup actually started outside (I had noticed a few people seemingly milling about), and b) the wait time was three hours. I asked what time the testing centre opened. She said 8 am, but that people were lined up inside, even though they weren't supposed to, when she got there at 7:30 am. I left.

Starting with bccdc.ca, I eventually found some information about the testing centre. It wasn't easy. The front page of bccdc right now gives CoVID info, but the first is about the self-assessment tool (no testing info), the second is CoVID info for the public. Far down on that page it mentions testing. The testing information link gives you a list of symptoms to decide whether you should get tested. Then it mentions travel, and twice more suggests the self-assessment tool. Finally there is a terse link labelled "Collection centre finder."

(There is also an automated bot, the "BCCDC COVID-19 Digital Assistant," which you can "ask" a question. When I typed in "north shore testing centre" I got a canned piece of info again talking about symptoms, but finally giving a link to the testing information page.)

That link brings up a map where you can zoom in and finally find that, yes, there is only one testing centre on the North Shore. (I first tried this on a smartphone, and the interface there is *not* easy.) Clicking on the red dot provides some information including the address and (finally!) times of opening. It's open 8 am to 10 pm, except 9-5 on Sunday.

There was also a link to a separate page for this specific location.  Unfortunately, this page disagrees on times (8 am to 9 pm, except 8-4 on Sunday), but it also gives a phone number. It also provides a handy "Estimated Wait Time." I was heartened to note that, after having been told the wait time was 3 hours at 1:30 pm, by 2:15 pm the wait time was showing 2.5 hours, and even more heartened to note that by 2:40 pm it was only 2 hours! When I checked again at 4:30, it was showing a confusing "At Capacity." However, building on the hope that the previous reductions in wait time had engendered, I went back down, and actually found a parking spot (only available after 5 pm) that I could stay in until 10 pm if necessary. I walked over to the testing centre.

Here I found the first actual sign from the testing centre, topped with the sign "CLOSED." "At Capacity" apparently means that the line is long enough that they are not letting anyone else join it for that day. (So those who were there at 4:30 pm and *did* get in were facing a five and a half hour wait in line.) (The sign did also confirm that the actual hours were/are 8-10 and 9-5.)

Today, Friday, the specific Website with the wait time estimate has been showing a four hour wait for the last two hours that I have been checking it.

Going back to the collection centres map, I note that there are five centres in Vancouver. One, downtown, shows a three hour wait at the moment. Another is for DTES and has no Website, so no time estimate. Another, at Commercial Drive, requires an appointment and has no Website. There is one at Women's and Childrens that has limitations and no Website. There is a drive-in at 33rd and Heather that has no Website. There is a drive-in in Burnaby that has a Website with some times and confusing directions, but no time estimates.

[denbesten]

If possible pick a center that does drive through testing. If you stay in your car is safer for you and the line moves faster because they can turn things over quicker due to fewer things to clean between each patient

Hoping things turn out well.

[rslade]

> denbesten (Community Champion) posted a new reply in Industry News on 08-15-2020

> If possible pick a center that does drive through testing if you stay in your
> car is safer for you and they can turn things over quicker

As noted, I did find a couple of drive-in centres. However, local news noted that
the drive-in centres reach "capacity" within about 45 minutes of opening. I'm not
sure how much of a health benefit there is in waiting 6 hours in a lineup of idling
cars.

Friday got very busy, so I didn't try, but this morning I got up early and drove
down before it opened. A few blocks away I found 2 hour street parking, and it
didn't come into effect until 9 am, so I figured I was good until 11 am. I took a
folding chair with me to have something to sit on in the waiting line.

I arrived at 7:30 am. At that time I was second in line outside the foyer, but, at 8
when the office opened and the security guards came on duty one of them cleared
some of the people inside to outside. (I later found out that the inside lineup was
eight people.) At that point I was about sixth in line, outside. At 8 am the
Website showed a 10 minute wait. At 8:30 am it showed a two hour wait. (I had
moved about 3 spaces in ine by that time.)

This testing centre is co-located with an urgent primary care centre. The lineup is
just for the CoVID-19 testing. UPCC patients bypass the line and staff (or
security) send them directly to the office. CoVID-19 testing people get taken in
when the UPCC office is not too busy with other people.

Once up in the UPCC clinic things are a bit more confused. There is a wait for
registration. Once registered you have a bit more freedom. (By the time I was
registered it was 10:30 am, so I talked to the desk and then went and moved my
car so I wouldn't overstay the parking limit. I took the folding chair back to the
car, since there were chairs in the clinic waiting area.) You wait for a while and
then see triage. Everybody goes through triage, UPCC and testing alike. Once
through triage there is yet another waiting area for CoVID-19 testing: they
"batch" the CoVID-19 tests in groups of four. (This is part of the reason the
lineups in the foyer and outside are inconsistent in movement. Also, UPCC cases
may be given priority, depending upon severity.) Once the CoVID-19 group area
is full, a "batch" only takes about 10 minutes.

I was done about four hours after I first arrived. I figured that the people at the
end of the outside line, when I left (at 11:30 am), were looking at about a six hour
wait. (The Website estimated wait time, at that point, was showing 10 mnutes, so
obviously it only applies to the UPCC patients, and not the CoVID testing.)

====================== (quote inserted randomly by Pegasus Mailer)
rslade@gmail.com rmslade@outlook.com rslade@computercrime.org
Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot
change their minds cannot change anything. - George Bernard Shaw
victoria.tc.ca/techrev/rms.htm http://twitter.com/rslade
http://blogs.securiteam.com/index.php/archives/author/p1/
https://community.isc2.org/t5/forums/recentpostspage/user-id/1324864413

[rslade]

By the way, I'm negative.  Got the results, by text, within 24 hours.

[Caute_cautim]

@rslade   For how long?  and when do you propose re-testing - 10 to 20 days?

Regards

Caute_cautim

[rslade]

See also "Voice" recognition of CoVID-19

[rslade]

[pr0n filter].  Now we have to deal with the plague, too?

[dcontesti]

I want to put the biggest sad face here........what next frogs, wheat rotting, swarms of locus?  

Sorry but when does it all stop

[rslade]

One of the odd things, during the pandemic, is that for those who are working, it's hard to get them to stop.  Burnout could easily become an issue.

Some ideas of how to get people to take time off.

[rslade]

---

@dcontesti wrote:

Sorry but when does it all stop

---

Heat death of the universe ...

(OK, yeah, maybe that was a bit of a downer ...)