When it comes to taking care of your health, it is important to know whether you’re contagious with COVID or not. It isn’t convenient to keep scheduling appointments in order to conduct a test, so there has to be some other means to find out whether you’re infected or not. Here are some other convenient methods of testing yourself for COVID when you can’t go to the doctor.

When To Take A COVID-19 Test

Whether you decide to do an SDNA test or a nose swab test, you should only test yourself in certain circumstances.

  • You were exposed to someone with COVID-19
  • You have COVID-19 symptoms
  • You are going to an indoor event or a gathering

If you were exposed to someone who has been infected, you should test yourself five days after exposure. If you are experiencing symptoms then you should test yourself immediately. If you are attending an event, you should test yourself immediately before going. If your first test is negative, then you should consider testing 1-2 days after your first test.

How To Get An At-Home Test

There are multiple ways to obtain an at-home test. You can buy them online or at your local pharmacies. You can visit the FDA’s website to find the authorized at-home tests that you should be using in order to get accurate results. You can also obtain free tests from your local health departments if you ask. If either option is not viable for you, then you may have to visit a community testing site or contact your local health department in order to obtain one.

What Is An SDNA Test?

This is an at-home test that involves the collection of saliva into a small container. It is said to have more accurate results than using a nose swab test. Because a higher sample is being collected from the body, there is a higher chance of being able to detect the presence of the virus. These tests also don’t require any special storage needs so that they can be provided to customers as soon as they want them without involving a lengthy process.

What Do The Results Of A Test Mean?

If the results of your test come back negative, then the test did not detect the virus but that doesn’t mean that you’re not infected. You should conduct a test 24 to 48 hours later to ensure that you’re really negative.

If your test is positive, then the virus is present in your system. You should stay home for at least 5 days and isolate yourself from others. Tell anyone you may have come into contact with, and keep a close eye on your symptoms so that you can seek emergency care immediately if they get worse.

Getting tested for COVID isn’t something that everyone wants to go through, since it can be a laborious and slightly-scary process. But with more convenient measures being made available to customers, it has become a lot easier for them to keep a careful eye on their health an take the measures needed to protect others.