Heck, I dare say that the rush of fear, anxiety and probably guilt that comes with first-time voluntary HIV testing is nothing compared to the rush of emotions I felt over the possibility that my Covid-19 result could be positive.
I say this not to scare you, dear reader, but to prepare you because as Kenya enters the third month since the first confirmed Covid-19 case was reported in the country, the government plans to ramp up the so-called targeted mass testing in estates.
After walking me through a set of questions to find out if I had any recent travel history to countries that had active Covid-19 cases and whether I had come into contact with someone who has tested positive for the disease, the lab technician, Anne, asked me to lift my chin to enable her to look through my nose and my throat.
Anne gently inserting a nasopharyngeal swab into my nose and gently spinning it to get a sample from the upper part of my throat behind the nose (the area is known as the nasopharynx).
Dr Kalebi explained why: "Unlike the throat, the nose has very sensitive nerve endings and cilia designed to keep any foreign objects away".
