When to Get Tested for COVID-19
Key times to get tested:
- If you have symptoms, test immediately.
- if you were exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms, wait at least 5 full days after your exposure before testing. If you test too early, you may be more likely to get an inaccurate result.
- If you in certain high-risk settings, you may need to test as part of a screening testing program.
- Consider testing before contact with someone at high risk severe COVID-19, especially if you are in area with a medium or high COVID-19 Community Level.
For guidance on using tests to determine which mitigations are recommended as you recover from COVID-19, go to Isolation and precautions for People with COVID-19.