Why do some people get wound up if others test for covid?

[Adaytoday]

What is it about testing for covid specifically that seems to wind people up?
AIBU to find it really odd? People don’t seem to have the same reaction to any other test.

YABU - it is not odd to be wound up because another person does a covid test

YANBU - it is odd that some people get wound up because another person does a covid test

Define “more careful”

“It’s just a cold” is why. (Not my opinion). They think that anyone having time off work or saying they are ill is making a mountain out of a molehill. They think everyone should carry on just like they do. They have conveniently forgotten about long covid.

Nail on the head with all that. DH has cancer so we’re very aware of infection risks, and have hospital appointments every week. We test if feel a bit off it as we don’t want to spread anything to other vulnerable people in crowded unventilated hospital waiting areas. Likewise when people come to our house, we ask them to wash hands and wear a mask, ie currently getting physio visits due to him just having had a major leg operation - most sane people understand and comply!

I test because a colleague of mine is immuno-compromised. I don’t test for me, I test for them.

Yup, same here.

I don’t think you meant this reply for me.

If I get Covid I get antivirals if I need them. So I test. Immunocompromised. Not everyone is the same. Also have the covid vaccine. For some of us it’s not that easy.

It’s not that simple. I have a chronic cancer and am able to get antivirals for Covid but they need to know that’s what it is and start treatment within a few days for it to be effective. If my family are unwell then they test to see what they can be spreading to me. There are plenty of us with health conditions that make Covid and flu more than a simple infection.

There are some people out there who have convinced themselves that it was/is all a massive conspiracy by some nefarious group (choose or make up whoever you want - the Masons, Nazis, Commies, Jews, Islamists, Catholics, billionaires - it helps if you add the word 'cabal'), and an attempt to control the masses. But we can't be controlled, because we watched a YouTube by Barry from Jaywick who really knows his stuff.

I’ve seen colleagues getting ‘wound up’ about people testing for Covid as the OP describes, and from what they’ve says I can only assume they are thinking along the following lines.

if you are testing for your own benefit - because you have some condition that might be affected by it - or you live with someone whose health is compromised, then fair enough - testing is fine, especially if you’ve been advised to by your Dr.

But if you aren’t in this situation and you test, it implies that you are going to take some kind of action based on the results. You might choose to curtail your social activities, work from home, let people know that you’ve got Covid and were likely infectious when you saw them etc. And you are willing to do this voluntarily, not because there are specific rules that require it.

The people who get ‘wound up’ don’t want to do any of these - maybe they can’t afford time off, maybe they don’t feel too bad and can struggle on without disrupting their family life too much, maybe they are just plain selfish. But they don’t like being reminded that some people - those who test - are willing to restrict their own activities to prevent others getting ill. It confronts them with their own morally questionable behaviour, and they don’t like it. So they get aggressive towards those who ‘make’ them feel bad by behaving in an unselfish way.

I did in the previous post.

You appear to be the embodiment of OP's question. Why are you so bothered about other people testing?

You appear to not understand that it’s not necessary to test for Covid, by buying tests, it’s about sensible decisions.

However if the less “capable” to make those decisions need a test, they can buy them. It’s not my money they’re wasting, it’s their own.

When our DS comes home occasionally from working 300 miles away, he tests because he doesn’t want to infect DH with covid, whether he has symptoms or not, as he lives/works in a big city and uses public transport daily and does lots of socialising. DH is on chemotherapy so is very high risk.

It's because it's often a judgement-loaded conversation. The same people who spent a lot of time during 2020-2022 talking about what people should or should not be doing, criticising people breaking rules which weren't really rules, or just making loads of noise about protecting vulnerable people or children or whatever.

A lot of people haven't moved on from that, they can't just take the test and be quiet about it, they have to tell people they have taken the test and the subtext is that you should be in admiration of them being such a compassionate and responsible person, or that they are judging you because you don't see the need for testing and just stay at home if you don't feel well.

So I can get anti virals. My dad and my DP both do tests so they can avoid me if necessary

The pandemic was a horrific time for some, I'd go as far as saying it was traumatic for some. Talk of covid tests could be triggering.
Flu is just as dangerous as covid, even the common cold is dangerous to some people. For those they may think a covid test is pointless and people should be following the same hygiene practices to prevent spreading any illness.
There was a lot of performative covid testing with people posting picture of tests on social media which is annoying just because it's ridiculous.
Covid was used as an excuse for the workshy to take time off which is also annoying for obvious reasons.
People just want to forget that time and move on.
People are confused about why people are actually bothering, we don't test for other viruses unless we need treatment, in which case you'd be at the doctors for a diagnosis not doing your own covid test.
Plenty of reasons there and I'm sure there are more I haven't thought of.

I don't test anymore, but i did for a long time afterwards- my choice. Some of my friends did this too because they knew how anxious I was about things. If I was due to meet friends and i/ they had a bad cold, I would not choose to meet up- again - my choice

I've tested for it, just to know. I've had the Covid jab as well. I have asthma and I like to be on top of these things, to see how they affect me.

I had a bad chest infection last year that needed steroids. Then I caught Covid in the autumn, a few weeks after I'd had the Covid jab. I wasn't as ill as I was with the chest infection a few months before, I believe thst was down to having the Covid jab. There are vulnerable people who are at risk from Covid so I'd still test. A lot of people died in the pandemic, people are forgetting that, judging by how many eligible for the jab are not getting it.

I know a person who has to test if he has the slightest sniffle for various things because he works for a pharmaceutical company in a clean room. They are not allowed in to work with anything infectious at all.

Between us DH and I knew 3 people that died of Covid aged 34, 54 and 80. I was seriously ill in the first wave, I was fit as a flea before. I do wonder if my decline in stamina is Covid related.

The last time I tested was 4 years ago. I had a really bad cold and was due to go to the dentist that day. I decided to take a test and the line appeared immediately. I rang the dentist and rescheduled. They were very grateful that I had bothered.

To be honest I’d rather someone rescheduled with a bad cold as well anyway. I don’t really want to catch any type of cold because I don’t get paid if I can’t work, I get complaints if I cancel appointments if I’m ill and I get complaints if I work when I’m ill. (Not a dentist I’m a hygienist). But I can’t win. So I would just rather not catch anything.

TBH I think I would have done anyway @Dwappy
I just felt less guilty about cancelling with having covid.

Shouldn't people who need to test for covid for medical reasons also be tested for other viruses though? The last time my DD was hospitalised for asthma she had Parainfluenza 3, as an example. I definitely don't see the point of people who don't have medical conditions or job requirements testing, except out of curiosity.

It’s because the ‘testers’ you’re talking about tend to go round announcing the fact they’ve tested. It’s boring and irrelevant.

I think the reason that some people find it annoying when someone else says they have tested for Covid is that it can seem like it's being done in a performative way. If a colleague says they're not coming to the office and will work from home for a few days because they have a cold or they're not feeling well - absolutely fine, no problem at all, I work in the kind of job where we all have a lot of autonomy to manage our own workload. If they make a point of saying they have tested positive for Covid, it sounds like they're expecting to be treated differently or taken more seriously - it feels like they're expecting everyone to gasp in horror or something. I admit I do roll my eyes slightly. Of course it's different if there is a specific reason like immunity issues etc.