How is COVID-19 diagnosed?
COVID-19 is diagnosed with a laboratory test. Your healthcare provider may collect a sample of your saliva or swab your nose or throat to send for testing.
When should I be tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19)?
Call your healthcare provider if you:
- Feel sick with fever, cough or have difficulty breathing.
- Have been in close contact with a person known or suspected to have COVID-19.
Your healthcare provider will ask you questions about your symptoms. Your healthcare provider will tell you if you need to be tested for the novel coronavirus, COVID-19 and where to go to be tested.
If I have a positive test for COVID-19, how long should I self-isolate?
According to current CDC recommendations, you should self-isolate for 14 days. However, this decision needs to be made on a case-by-case basis. Please call your healthcare provider. Many factors need to be considered, such as:
- Severity of your COVID-19 infection.
- Your age and any existing health conditions.
- How quickly your symptoms go away.
While at home, ideally self-isolate within separate room of your home if possible to limit interaction with other family members. If you can’t stay 100% isolated in a separate room, stay six feet away from others and wear a cloth mask, wash your hands often/family members wash hands often, and frequently disinfect commonly touched surfaces and shared areas.
Is it possible to test negative for COVID-19 and still be infected with the virus?
Yes. This is possible. There are several reasons for “false negative” test results – meaning you really DO have COVID-19 although the test result says you don’t.
Reasons for a false negative COVID-19 test result include:
- You were tested too early in the course of illness. The virus hasn’t multiplied in your body to the level that it could be detected by the test.
- A good specimen was not obtained. The healthcare personnel may not have swabbed deeply enough in the nasal cavity to collect a good sample. There could also be handling errors and transportation errors, as the sample must be transported to a lab to be tested.
- The COVID-19 test itself was not sensitive or specific enough to detect COVID-19. “Sensitivity” refers to the ability of the test to detect the smallest amount of virus. “Specificity” refers to the ability of the test to detect only the COVID-19 virus and not other similar viruses. Many different commercial and hospital laboratories have developed tests for COVID-19. All must meet standards, but no test is 100% sensitive and 100% specific for COVID-19. This is why there is always a possibility of “false negative” and “false positive” tests.
If you think you might have COVID-19 even if your test is negative, it’s best to follow the current CDC recommendation. Stay home for 14 days if you think you are sick. Stay six feet away from others (“social distancing”) and wear a cloth mask. Contact your healthcare provider if your symptoms worsen. Contact your healthcare provider when your symptoms improve – don’t decide on your own if it’s safe for you to be around others.