The Center for Disease Control has a tool on their site called Coronavirus Self-Checker you can input your information and it will give you the best course of action.

Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis.

Two tests can identify whether you currently have COVID-19:

• RT-PCR: this is the most accurate test, but may take 24-72 hours, or in some cases even longer, to get results because samples need to be analyzed at an appropriately-equipped laboratory.
• Antigen tests: these tests tend to be faster, with results returned as quickly as 30 minutes, but they are less accurate than the RT-PCR test. This means that the test may not detect all infections so there is a chance that some individuals carrying the COVID-19 virus may get a negative result (called a false-negative test). Similarly, there is also a chance that an individual infected with a virus other than COVID-19, like the virus that causes the common cold, may test positive for COVID-19 (called a false-positive test).

You may not have been infected at the time your specimen was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. It is possible that you were very early in your infection at the time of your specimen collection and that you could test positive later, or you could be exposed later and then develop illness. In other words, a negative test result does not rule out getting sick later.

Even if you have a negative result, you should practice physical distancing, wear a face covering, and wash your hands frequently.

If you are sick with COVID-19 or suspect you are infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, you should take steps to help prevent the disease from spreading to people in your home and community. Check out the documents by the CDC on what happens when you’re positive for COVID-19 here.

You could be fined if you do not self-isolate after getting a positive PCR test result.

If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, try calling your state or local health department or a medical provider. You can search for a provider near you on CovidTestingCenters.com While supplies of these tests are increasing, it may still be difficult to find a place to get tested.

The US Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) has incorporated a useful search tool on their website. The search page allows anyone to locate free community-based testing centers across the US available for all Americans, including people without insurance.

Not everyone needs to be tested for COVID-19. Here is some information that might help in making decisions about seeking care or testing.

• People who have symptoms of COVID-19 – even if you are fully vaccinated or have had COVID-19 in the past.
• People who have had close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
• People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, local or state health department.

CDC recommends that anyone with any signs or symptoms of COVID-19 get tested but decisions about testing are at the discretion of state and local health departments and/or individual clinicians.

COVID-19 tests are available at no cost nationwide at health centers and select pharmacies. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act ensures that COVID-19 testing is free to anyone in the U.S.

Result wait times very from 30 minutes to 72 hours depending on the type of test you are given. However, depending on the lab’s capacity, results may take up to a week before they become available. Discuss with your doctor what type of test you will be taking and average wait time for results.

For RT-PCR and antigen tests, a doctor, nurse or lab technician inserts a thin, flexible stick with cotton at the tip into your nose to collect an adequate sample of your mucous. The swab is kept in place for several seconds before it is gently rotated as it is pulled out, and is sealed in a tube to be sent to a lab for analysis. Swabs may be required from both nostrils to collect enough mucous for the test. This can be somewhat uncomfortable but is not overly painful.