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Matt Volz and son Thomas take a selfie while waiting for a covid test in Helena, Montana, on Sept. 22.(Matt Volz / KHN)
HELENA, Mont. - My unvaccinated 7-year-old son began hacking and sneezing in late September as the hospitals in our home state of Montana started buckling under the latest covid surge. I took him to get tested when his symptoms wouldn't go away.
The cotton swab went up his nostrils and Thomas bucked out of my lap with a mighty snort, nearly ripping the 6-inch swab from the pediatrician assistant's fingers. It came out bent, but the sample was usable, and as she put it away, I asked a question to which I already knew the answer.
"So we're in quarantine?" She nodded. It would take about 72 ho...