WORCESTER, Mass. — A line in downtown Worcester on Tuesday was full of powerful reasons to get tested for COVID-19. One woman has already recovered from the virus once.
“It was very scary, it was very lonely. When you are that sick, you want comfort from people and you can’t get it,” said Pam from Oxford.
Another woman feared she might be COVID-19 positive.
Thankfully, the testing site run by UMass Memorial Medical Center is fast all around. Once in the door it’s less than 10 minutes from door to nasal swab.
“I’ve been out of work since last Thursday, the body aches are unreal. I can’t do anything, like I can’t even get out of bed to shower without feeling winded,” she said.
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“Yesterday we finished all the testing; say, 330 results were turned around by 5 or 6 this morning. Unfortunately, if you are positive, you’ll get a call back by this evening,” said William Smith, the project manager for the COVID-19 testing site at UMass Memorial Medical Center.
For someone who has already beat COVID-19 once, the experience was a cautionary tale she hopes Massachusetts residents will listen to.
“We all want to see our families but this reality,” said Pam from Oxford. “I wasn’t sure that I was coming home from the hospital that day. I was coughing up blood. It’s something we must respect. The first minute that I can get that vaccine I’m going to get it.”
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