When they called to tell me my COVID-19 test was positive, I thought there must have been a mistake. I felt perfectly fine, and in the long months of the pandemic my husband, Jeff, and I had been behaving the way much of the United States had: hyper-vigilant about where we went and who we saw, and careful to follow the recommended public health precautions.
Besides, Jeff had taken the same test at the same time, and his was negative. Since we did almost everything together, how could you explain that?
“It’s a PCR test — they’re very accurate,” said the woman on the phone from the Delaware Board of Public Health when I expressed some disbelief. We had taken the test not because we suspected anything but because, having driven from our home in New York City to Delaware for a weekend break, we wanted to be good citizens and follow New York’s rules regarding travel out of state when we returned.