Getting tested for COVID-19
Anyone and everyone with symptoms of COVID-19 should get tested for COVID-19. Testing is an important part of the public health response to this virus. After someone tests positive, we can identify people who have been in close contact with them and keep the close contacts from spreading the virus to others before they get symptoms. If we do this enough, we can stop the virus from spreading in communities.
Although testing capacity has increased, there are still some limitations to testing people as quickly as we would like. Generally, the biggest challenge has been the availability of the supplies needed to collect the sample from your nose — swabs and the viral transport media that goes inside the test tube with your swab.
So, if you have symptoms that seem like they might be COVID-19 (fever, chills, cough), call your health care provider and ask to be tested. Calling before you go in allows the team to make sure they have enough supplies on hand and take other precautions to keep staff and other patients safe. If you don’t have a health care provider, contact an urgent care center near you. If don’t have health insurance, contact your local health jurisdiction. Make sure to wear a facemask or cloth face covering if you go.
Frequently Asked Questions
What will they do?
There are several ways to collect a sample, but, in general, a health care worker will take a sample from the front part of your nose using a swab. They will swirl a swab around both nostrils and then let it sit in your nose for about 15 seconds.
Will it hurt?
It just feels like having a swab in your nose, which is weird, but not usually painful. Sometimes a provider needs to take a sample from the very back of your nose. This is generally like how you might get tested for the flu. That is uncomfortable, but it doesn’t really hurt, and is at least pretty quick.
How much does the test cost? Will my insurance cover it?
There should be no cost to you as a patient for testing, whether you have insurance or not. The state Insurance Commissioner is requiring insurers to waive co-pays and deductibles for COVID-19 testing. If you don’t have health insurance, contact your local health department to find out how to get free testing in your area. Then, when you are feeling better, visit the Washington Health Benefit Exchange to find out if you qualify for free health coverage (Apple Health, Washington’s Medicaid program) or if you qualify to purchase individual health insurance.
When will I get the results?
The results can come back in as quickly as 10 minutes or as long as several days, depending on whether your health care provider can test the sample onsite or whether they need to send it to a lab.
What exactly are we testing for?
The test we use is called a Viral PCR test. It works by detecting the genetic material specific to this virus within all the genetic material in the sample from your nose. It could take about five days after you get exposed to the virus for it to show up enough in a sample from your nose to be detected by this test. So you could have it, but the test may not show it for a while — timing is important for getting an accurate result. If you get a positive result, that confirms that you have or have recently had COVID-19.
When I feel better will I test negative again?
Eventually, yes. But even after all your symptoms go away, the fever is gone, and you are feeling much better, you can still test positive for COVID-19. But that’s not because you are still contagious — it’s because bits of the virus, already beaten up by your immune system, may still be in your nose. We’re still learning about this virus, but as far as we know now, after your symptoms have resolved, and your fever has been gone for three days, you are not contagious even if you test positive again.
Practice compassion.
Getting tested, covering your face, and staying away from other people when you are sick helps keep the virus from spreading. Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of COVID-19. Keeping the community healthy is an act of compassion.
More Information
Stay tuned to our blog for more information on how you can help stop the spread of COVID-19. Sign up to be notified whenever we post new articles.
Information in this blog changes rapidly. Check the state’s COVID-19 website for up-to-date and reliable info at coronavirus.wa.gov.
Answers to your questions or concerns about COVID-19 in Washington state may be found at our website. You can also contact our call center at
1–800–525–0127. Hours: 6 am-10 pm, seven days a week.
Department of Health call center: 1–800–525–0127, 6 a.m. to 10 p.m, seven days a week
Please check our website for the most up-to-date info on Washington’s response to COVID-19 at www.doh.wa.gov/coronavirus.
