Many videos show people getting the COVID test, where they have to get their nose swabbed. In most videos, they people getting tested are crying, screaming, and seem very uncomfortable, but really- how bad is it?

On Jan. 4, I was scheduled to have a COVID test. This was in preparation for my knee surgery that was coming up the following week.

Leading up to this test, I started to get so anxious about how bad it was going to be. I’ve always been scared of needles and shots my whole life- so this was nothing exciting for me. Of course, my TikTok “For You Page” was starting to load up with videos of people getting the test, too.

Once the day finally came, I drove myself to where I had to get my test, and waited outside in my car. The stress started piling up, once I saw the doctor come out in the hazard suit, I was ready to bawl my eyes.

The doctor walked over to my window and asked for my name, and told me not to worry because “it’s not as bad as it seems”, she walked back into the hospital and grabbed everything she needed then started to walk back to my car.

My anxiety was at it’s highest, I couldn’t comprehend what was happening. She walked over to my car and asked if I was ready- and I just started to cry. The doctor laughed and told me “I promise it’s not bad at all,” and I was just telling her that I was ready to get this over with.

I tilted my head back and shut my eyes so tight, my hands were sweating so badly, but then it was over before I even knew it.

I actually started to laugh, it tickled.

The doctor told me I was all done and to watch for a call in the next day for my results, and I was able to go home right after.

It’s not too much of an interesting story at all, because it wasn’t that bad after all.

Other people from Utica have also had to get the COVID test, Mr. Leitz had to get it done plenty of times.

“I have taken about fifteen or so COVID tests because I’m around a lot of people and I want to have a base line, so I get one every month,” said principal Thomas Lietz. “I actually had a scare a couple weeks ago when I was around somebody who was COVID positive and didn’t know it. We have a very small pod of people that we are around, my kids are six and eight and they have some friends that they can play with and we all had an agreement about it.”

A lot of people now hang out with their friends, but only a small amount so that they can keep their bubble small- but they don’t realize how big they are making their bubble.

Your friends also have their small bubble of people that they hang out with, and it continues on with every person. So when we think we are being safe, we actually are putting ourselves more at risk.

“We thought that we had it all figured out and that we were safe, but one of those people let their kids go elsewhere and they got sick- their kid was probably sick and asymptomatic and didn’t know it,” Lietz said. “So I was on lock down for fourteen days, but after that I got it again and now I’m negative.”