My son had a fever, dry cough and achy joints. I took him to the same-day clinic in our small Oregon hometown, hoping to get a coronavirus test for peace of mind because I am flying to Anchorage to be with my daughter as she gives birth to her first child. I have a stopover in Seattle, one of the hardest-hit cities for the virus outbreak. The clinic swabbed him for influenza, but when I asked about a coronavirus test, the health professional helping us said if he hadn’t traveled outside Curry County, there was little chance of getting it. That seems counter to the procedures and testing that are needed to “flatten the curve” for the coronavirus. The president said anybody who wanted a test could get one; well, that is not true, and there doesn’t seem to be any urgency of the health community in these small towns to take it seriously. I received no recommendations as to whether I should fly or not, or whether I might be exposing my pregnant daughter or her newborn to a dangerous health condition, even though I specifically asked about it. I was highly disappointed.

Jean Phillips, Brookings