When should I be tested for COVID-19?

The Centers for Disease Control is issuing new guidance that anyone can be tested for COVID-19 with no restrictions, subject to a doctor’s orders, Vice President Mike Pence announced in a briefing with reporters Tuesday evening.

The CDC’s previous guidance was limited to people who traveled to countries affected by the novel coronavirus outbreaks and came in contact with a diagnosed patient or showed severe symptoms. But Pence said several governors raised concerns that people with only mild symptoms wouldn’t be tested.



Call your healthcare professional if you feel sick with fever, cough or difficulty breathing, and have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19, or if you live in or have recently traveled from an area with ongoing spread of COVID-19.

Your healthcare professional will work with your state’s public health department and CDC to determine if you need to be tested for COVID-19.

There is currently no FDA approved medication for COVID-19. People infected with this virus should receive supportive care such as rest, fluids and fever control, to help relieve symptoms. For severe cases, treatment should include care to support vital organ functions.

All you need to know on Coronavirus

What is Coronavirus?

Causes of Coronavirus

Symptoms of Coronavirus



Prevention of Coronavirus

Where do Coronaviruses come from?

Coronavirus update worldwide

What is COVID-19? What is SARS-CoV-2?

Is this coronavirus comparable to SARS or to the seasonal flu (influenza)?

What is the mode of transmission?

How (easily) does Coronavirus spread?

Can someone spread the coronavirus without being sick?

Are some people at more coronavirus risk than others?

Is there a treatment for the COVID-19 disease?

When should I be tested for COVID-19?



How does the Coronavirus spread?

Have there been other coronaviruses?