{"id":18607,"date":"2020-03-18T19:15:56","date_gmt":"2020-03-19T00:15:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thepapergown.zocdoc.com\/?p=18607"},"modified":"2023-01-12T19:11:16","modified_gmt":"2023-01-13T00:11:16","slug":"when-and-how-to-get-tested-for-coronavirus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zocdoc.com\/blog\/guides\/when-and-how-to-get-tested-for-coronavirus\/","title":{"rendered":"When, How and Where to Get Tested for the Coronavirus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Coronavirus information changes quickly, so please take note of this story’s publication date. You can find current<\/em> recommendations and national outbreak data on the CDC<\/a> website. Or, if you want local coronavirus updates and stats, check out the department of health website for your state<\/a> or your city<\/a>. Enjoy reading and stay safe. Let’s flatten that curve.\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

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Guidance on the coronavirus seems to change by the hour. If you’re not sure when to inquire about testing \u2014 or how to go about doing it, or where you’d need to go \u2014 you’re hardly the only one. <\/span>With help from experts, we put together an overview of the testing process.<\/p>\n

Coronavirus basics<\/h2>\n

The coronavirus is actually a family of viruses that can cause a range of respiratory symptoms. The illness caused by this coronavirus, called COVID-19, is <\/span>thought to primarily spread via<\/span><\/a> “respiratory droplets,” most often when an infected person sneezes or coughs.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cCoronavirus doesn’t typically cause what we call upper respiratory disease, where you get a runny nose, for example,\u201d says Dr. Robert Murphy, director of the Center for Communicable Diseases and a professor of infectious diseases at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. \u201cIt\u2019s a lower respiratory disease that affects the lungs. That\u2019s a big difference from the common cold, but unfortunately, it is similar to how the flu presents.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Anyone with a cough and a fever should stay home from work and wear a mask if they have to go out, Murphy says. <\/span>The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, tiredness and a dry cough. Some patients may have aches and pains, nasal congestion, a runny nose, sore throat or diarrhea. These symptoms are usually mild and begin gradually, according to Dr. Krutika Kuppalli, an infectious diseases physician and vice chair of the Infectious Diseases Society of America Global Health Committee.<\/span><\/p>\n

Who’s supposed to get tested?<\/h2>\n

Doctors are permitted<\/a> to test any patient they feel might be infected; the WHO advises<\/a> anyone who has a fever, cough and\/or difficulty breathing to seek medical attention, whether or not they have a reason to believe they’ve been exposed to the coronavirus.<\/p>\n

But to guide testing decisions, the CDC advises<\/a> healthcare providers to prioritize a few groups of symptomatic<\/em> people:<\/p>\n