What to do if you are concerned you have COVID-19, according to state health departments:
As the novel coronavirus spreads and the capacity of the nation’s health care systems is stretched, the basic guidance is largely the same nationwide.
You may not be able to get tested, especially if you do not have severe symptoms. While testing is available in every state and more labs are beginning to test around the country, demand is so high that tests are largely being reserved for high-risk cases: people with severe symptoms, other risk factors like age and complicating health conditions, and health care workers.
If you have coronavirus symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath), but do not require emergency medical care, health departments advise that you consult your primary care provider by calling to discuss your symptoms, stay home, self-isolate and take care of your symptoms until they pass to avoid exposing others — there’s no treatment for coronavirus and most cases don’t require hospitalization. If your symptoms become severe, you should seek medical care, but call ahead to the provider or hospital so they can make arrangements to limit exposure to others during your arrival, or inform the 911 dispatcher in an emergency situation.
All state health departments have additional information available on their coronavirus websites, which are frequently updated. Some have also set up COVID-19 hotlines. For details about your health department’s recommendations, testing protocols and where to find additional information, find your state on the drop-down menu below:
For national information, see the CDC’s coronavirus website.
Find Your State & See What To Do
- Call a health care provider if you are concerned you may have coronavirus – these include physician practices, emergency departments and urgent care centers. If they determine you should be tested, they will help you make arrangements to have samples taken while minimizing exposure to others.
- If you do not have a health care provider, you can call 1-888-264-2256. In the event the line is busy, the department asks that callers try again.
- If you need emergency care, call 911. When you speak to the dispatcher, inform them you think you have have coronavirus.
- Providers determine if someone should be tested, using the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Test results from the state public health lab should be available in 24 to 72 hours.
- Patients who are not hospitalized should self-isolate at home and remain there until their test results are reported to them by their health care provider.
- For more information, the public can call Alabama’s 211 system by dialing 2-1-1 or texting 888-421-1266—or visit the Alabama Department of Public Health’s coronavirus webpage.
Stay home and call your health care provider if you have symptoms to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person for testing. Providers determine if testing is appropriate based on symptoms and risk factors.
Separate yourself from other people and animals in your home as much as possible, including using a separate bathroom, if possible.
Seek prompt medical attention if your illness is worsening (e.g., difficulty breathing). Before seeking care, call your health care provider and tell them that you think you may have COVID-19. Put on a facemask before you enter the facility.
If you have a medical emergency and need to call 911, notify the dispatch personnel that you have, or may have COVID- 19. If possible, put on a facemask before emergency medical services arrive.
The state public health lab and commercial labs are conducting testing. The state public health lab is prioritizing specific cases:
- patients with recent close contact to a lab-confirmed of COVID-19
- patients with a history of travel to or residence in a community where local transmission of COVID-19 has occurred within the past 14 days
- hospitalized patients
- residents of long-term care facilities
- healthcare workers with a negative flu test
Test results from the state lab are expected in one to three days. Results times from commercial labs may vary.
Patients with COVID-19 should remain under home isolation until their medical provider believes the risk of transmission to others is low.
For more coronavirus information, visit the Alaska Department of Health and Social Services’ website.
- Call the American Samoa Department of Public Health to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person for testing.
- Your specimens can be collected at the Lyndon B. Johnson Tropical Medical Center. Speak to the department of public health first and call ahead before arriving.
- Decisions about testing are made based on the CDC’s criteria which looks at symptoms, exposure and risk.
- Samples are sent to the Hawaii state public health lab for testing.
- Results are expected in two to three days, though there may be a delay due to long-distance transportation to Hawaii.
- The American Samoa government has posted its coronavirus response and action plan on its website.
- Avoid contact with others and call your health care provider if you have symptoms and are concerned. If you do not have a regular provider, you can call an urgent care center.
- Providers determine if someone should be tested for coronavirus, based on the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- The Arizona State Public Health Lab and several private labs including Sonora Quest, Mayo, LabCorp and Arup Laboratories are conducting testing in the state.
- Test results are typically available 24 hours after they are received by the public health lab. Private lab results times may vary.
- If you have coronavirus symptoms (fever, cough, shortness of breath) but have not been tested, stay home away from others until 72 hours after fever is gone and symptoms of acute infection resolve. Call your provider for more guidance.
- For more details, you can call the Arizona information line by dialing 1-844-542-8201 or visit the Arizona Department of Health Services’ website.
- Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. Your provider will decide if testing for COVID-19 is necessary based on your symptoms and known exposures.
- If you do not have a regular provider, call the nearest health care facility that can provide an evaluation or call an emergency room or 911 if you are in need of emergency care and tell them about your symptoms.
- People with symptoms who are considered high risk (older adults and people with underlying chronic medical conditions) should call their provider even if symptoms are mild.
- The state public health lab is only performing tests for Arkansans with possible high risk exposure to COVID-19. Test results are available approximately 24 hours after they arrive at the state lab.
- Providers can also request testing from private labs in the state, which may have a different turnaround time for results.
- People who are mildly ill may be able to self-isolate and care for themselves at home. If emergency warning signs develop, seek medical attention immediately. These signs include: difficulty breathing, persistent pain or pressure in the chest, new confusion or inability to arouse, or bluish lips or face.
- For more coronavirus information, call 800-803-7847 or visit the Arkansas Department of Health’s website.
- If you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and may have had contact with a person with COVID-19, call your health care provider or local public health department before seeking medical care so that appropriate precautions can be taken to limit exposure to others.
- As of March 18, California had 22 public health labs testing for coronavirus and private labs testing as well.
- For a patient to be tested by a public health lab, their provider must contact the local public health department for approval and instructions.
- Most test results are available within 48 to 72 hours. The state has requested all labs notify the Department of Public Health about positive results.
- Local health departments work with the California Department of Public Health and the CDC, and making determinations on whether a patient with COVID-19 requires hospitalization or if home isolation is appropriate. That decision may be based on multiple factors including severity of illness, need for testing, and appropriateness of home for isolation purposes.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the California Department of Public Health’s webpage.
- Call your health care provider if you have symptoms. It is important to call ahead before going to see a doctor or emergency room to prevent the spread of illness. Tell them your symptoms and that you suspect you were exposed to someone with COVID-19 or had recent travel to a place that is experiencing community spread.
- Providers determine if a patient should be tested. If so, they will give advice about where to go for testing, which is being conducted by the state public health lab and private labs.
- Patients must be symptomatic and meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors, to be tested by the state public health lab. The public health lab can receive samples from providers and is conducting drive-up testing.
- Test results from the state lab should be available within 72 hours, depending on testing volume. Private lab result times may vary.
- DO NOT go to an emergency room to ask to be tested for COVID-19. If you are having a medical emergency call ahead to the emergency room or call 911 and inform the dispatcher about your symptoms.
- For more coronavirus information, call the CO HELP line at 303-389-1687 or 1-877-462-2911 or visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s webpage.
Call your primary care provider if you have symptoms for information regarding local testing locations. Providers decide if testing is needed.
If you do not have a primary care provider and you have the symptoms of COVID-19, call ahead to an urgent care center or to a federally qualified health center to be evaluated for testing.
Testing is only being conducted for people with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. Some hospitals have drive through testing, which, like all coronavirus testing, is only available with a doctor’s order.
If you have symptoms, but cannot get in touch with your provider, call one of the following hotlines:
- Hartford Healthcare Hotline: (860) 972-8100
- Yale New Haven Health: (833) 484-1200
- Bristol Hospital Coronavirus Info Line: (860) 261-6855
- Stamford Health: (203) 276-4111
For more information, visit Connecticut’s coronavirus website or call your local health department.
- If you feel sick, stay home and call your primary care doctor if you have concerns about your symptoms, particularly fever and coughing or shortness of breath.
- If you do not have a primary care doctor, call the Delaware Division of Public Health’s call center at (866) 408-1899.
- The state is only recommending testing for people with symptoms.
- If a provider determines someone should be tested, they collect the samples and send them to the state’s public health lab or a private lab. Approval from the Division of Public Health is required for testing at the state lab, but not for commercial lab testing.
- Results from the Division of Public Health’s laboratory are typically available within 24 hours. Private lab results times may vary.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the Delaware Division of Public Health’s website; call the Delaware information line by dialing 1-866-408-1899; or email dphcall@delaware.gov. TTY users should dial 1-800-232-5460.
- Call your primary care doctor or a health care facility if you are experiencing respiratory symptoms to be evaluated for testing. Residents without a primary care provider can call 202-576-1117. Call ahead before arriving at any medical facility in person.
- If you think you have symptoms, stay home from work or school until you are free of fever, signs of a fever and any other symptoms for at least 24 hours and without the use of fever-reducing or other symptom-altering medications.
- Only patients who meet the CDC’s criteria based on exposure and clinical factors and who are pre-approved by DC Health will be tested through the DC Department of Forensic Sciences Public Health Laboratory.
- For more information, visit DC’s coronavirus website and resource page.
Call your health care provider or county health department if you are symptomatic. They will determine the need for testing.
The state public health lab is prioritizing testing for patients who meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. Their samples will be sent to the closest laboratory.
If you don’t meet priority criteria, you can discuss with your provider about possibly getting tested at a commercial laboratory (e.g. LabCorp or Quest).
State lab results are generally available within 24 to 48 hours. Commercial labs can take three to four days. Turnaround time can for all be affected by demand.
If you develop these emergency warning signs for COVID-19, get medical attention immediately:
- Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
- Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
- New confusion or inability to arouse
- Bluish lips or face
For more coronavirus information, call the Florida 24/7 COVID-19 call center at 1-866-779-6121, email COVID-19@flhealth.gov or visit Florida Department of Health’s website.
- If you believe that you are experiencing symptoms or have been exposed to the novel coronavirus, call your primary care doctor or an urgent care clinic. Do not show up unannounced at an emergency room or health care facility.
- Your health care provider will determine if you need to be tested and tell you how to get care without exposing other.
- To be prioritized for testing at the Georgia Public Health Laboratory, patients must meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Private lab testing is available for symptomatic patients who don’t meet the state’s priority requirements, if their doctor determines they should be tested.
- Stay home and avoid contact with others while symptomatic to prevent spread of the virus and follow your provider’s instructions for taking care of yourself. Stay in touch with your doctor, monitor your symptoms.
- For more information, call the state’s COVID-19 hotline at 844-442-2681 or visit the Georgia Department of Public Health’s website.
Call your doctor or a health care facility if you feel sick or think you may have COVID-19 to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
If your symptoms are mild and allow you to stay home and self-isolate, but you would still like medical consultation, call one of the Department of Public Health and Social Services’ medical hotline numbers to speak with a registered nurse (available daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.):
- (671) 480-7859
- (671) 480-6760
- (671) 480-6763
- (671) 480-7883
The Guam public health lab is conducting testing for the territory, prioritizing people with symptoms and high risk cases. More information about testing criteria can be found in the physician’s alert on the department’s coronavirus website.
For more coronavirus information, read the department’s fact sheet or visit its website.
NBC News has reached out to the department with questions about testing and is awaiting additional response.
- If you become ill with a fever or cough, and have recently left an area having widespread community transmission of COVID-19 or have had prolonged close contact with a person confirmed to have COVID-19, call a health care provider to discuss your symptoms.
- The provider will determine if you should be tested based on the CDC’s criteria.
- If you have symptoms, stay home and avoid contact with others except for seeking medical care. If you need medical care, call ahead to your doctor’s office or an emergency room and let them know about your symptoms. If you need emergent medical care, call 911.
- If you have difficulty accessing medical care or have questions about how to care for yourself at home, call the Department of Health at 808-586-4586.
- The state’s public health lab is conducting tests with authorization from the Department of Health. Tests are also being conducted by the Tripler Army Medical Center lab, which does not require department authorization. Results are typically available within a day.
- For more information, visit the Hawaii Department of Health’s coronavirus website.
- You do not need to seek medical attention for a mild respiratory illness such as a cold.
- If you have had close contact with a person with known coronavirus or have recently traveled to an area with ongoing spread and you develop fever, cough, or difficulty breathing, call your healthcare provider and ask for instructions about how to seek care.
- Health care providers decide if testing is needed on a case-by-case basis. They consult with epidemiologists at the state and at local public health districts to facilitate testing at the state lab for high-risk patients.
- Testing is not recommended for people without symptoms.
- The state public health lab and some private regional labs are conducting testing for Idaho residents. Test results are usually available 24 hours after they are sent to the state lab. Private lab times may vary.
- For more information, call 2-1-1 or your local public health district, or visit Idaho’s coronavirus website.
- Stay home if you are sick and call your health care provider if you have coronavirus symptoms to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- Providers determine whether to conduct testing based on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- To help relieve symptoms: stay home and rest, take pain and fever medications and drink plenty of liquids. Seek medical attention if symptoms worsen.
- After a provider sends samples to the public health lab, results should be available approximately 24 hours later.
- Commercial labs are also conducting tests, which are then sent to the Illinois Department of Public Health’s laboratory for confirmation.
- General questions about COVID-19 and Illinois’ response can be answered over the phone at 1-800-889-3931 or via email at DPH.SICK@ILLINOIS.GOV. More information is available on the Illinois Department of Public Health’s coronavirus website.
- Contact your health care provider if you experience symptoms such as fever, cough and shortness of breath and have a recent history of travel to areas affected by COVID-19 or contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
- Health care providers determine if testing should be done in consultation with the Indiana State Department of Health in order for the test to be evaluated by the department. High risk individuals, including those who have been hospitalized with severe respiratory illness who have tested negative for other respiratory illnesses, will be prioritized. Results are typically available within 24 hours.
- Symptomatic individuals who are not high risk can discuss possible private testing with their provider.
- The state has a resource guide for Hoosiers looking for assistance, last updated on March 19.
- For more information, check the state coronavirus website, direct general questions to the state’s 24/7 COVID-19 call center at 877-826-0011 or e-mail epiresource@isdh.in.gov.
If you think you’ve been exposed to COVID-19 and develop a fever, cough and shortness of breath, call your health care provider for advice. They will determine if you should be tested for coronavirus or come in for in-person care. If so, they will instruct you on how how to arrive to limit exposure to others.
Health care providers can request testing from public or private labs and may consult the state department of public health. The State Hygenic Lab conducts tests for patients that meet the state’s criteria, which include:
- a person who has traveled to a country with a level 3 CDC travel health warning or has taken an international cruise in the two weeks prior to becoming ill with fever and respiratory symptoms (who do not have an alternative diagnosis)
- a person with household contact with a lab-confirmed COVID-19 case in the two weeks prior to becoming ill with fever or respiratory symptoms
- hospitalized adults older than 60 with fever and respiratory symptoms and chronic medical conditions
- hospitalized people with fever and respiratory failure, with no alternate diagnosis
Test results from the state lab should be available in approximately 24 hours. Private lab results times may vary.
For more coronavirus information, call Iowa’s 211 system or visit the Iowa Department of Public Health’s website.
Stay home and call your health care provider If you have symptoms such as fever, cough or shortness of breath and have had contact or believe you have had contact with someone who has a laboratory-confirmed case of COVID-19.
If you do not have a health care provider, call your local health department to be connected to one in your area.
People who are mildly ill with COVID-19 are able to isolate at home during their illness. Separate yourself from others as much as possible and clean high-touch surfaces regularly.
Seek prompt medical attention if your symptoms or illness worsens. Call your health care provider ahead of time to let them know you are coming. Call 911 if you have a medical emergency and notify the dispatcher that you have or are being evaluated for COVID-19.
Providers determine if a patient should be tested. Testing is available from private labs and the state public health lab for symptomatic patients.
The state public health lab is prioritizing cases for public health purposes and urgent need that meet the state’s criteria:
Health care workers and first responders who have COVID-19 symptoms
Potential clusters of unknown respiratory illness, with priority given to long-term care facilities and healthcare facilities
Hospitalized patients with no alternative diagnosis
Individuals over the age of 60 who have symptoms of COVID-19 with priority given to people who reside in a nursing home, long-term care facility, or other group setting
Individuals with underlying health conditions that would be treated differently if they were infected with COVID-19.
Results are typically available within a day once they are received by the state lab. Results times from private labs may vary.
For more coronavirus information, call the state’s hotline at 1-866-534-3463 (available Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.), email covid-19@ks.gov or visit the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s website.
If you think you have been exposed to COVID-19 and develop symptoms, but would not have sought care if not for COVID-19, do not seek in-person care at a doctor’s office, hospital or ER. Instead, isolate yourself from others in your home and call your health care provider or local health department for medical advice.
If you are sick and feel you have an emergency, call your doctor or seek medical care, alerting them that you may have coronavirus.
Providers will determine if testing should be done. Tests can be conducted by the state division of laboratory services and commercial labs. Testing is not done on asymptomatic patients.
The Department for Public Health must approve of all tests done by the state lab and is prioritizing cases with the greatest need for evaluation from a public health standpoint, which include:
- Symptomatic people who work in critical settings with vulnerable populations, such as health care workers, corrections officers, and people who work in long-term care facilities
- People with critical illness, where other pathogens have been ruled out and there is an unusual clinical course or clear exposure reported
Results from the state lab are expected within one to two days of sample collection. Commercial lab result times may vary.
For more information, call the Kentucky coronavirus hotline at 1-800-722-5725 or visit the Kentucky coronavirus website.
Call your primary care physician if you begin to show symptoms and think you may have been in close contact with someone who tested positive. If you do not have a primary care physician, contact the Louisiana 211 Network by dialing 2-1-1 to be connected to the nearest community clinic.
If you have symptoms, self-isolate and call ahead before showing up at a health care provider so they can limit exposure to others. Providers decide if testing should be conducted.
The Louisiana Department of Health recommends testing for any patient with fever, respiratory symptoms and a negative flu test. Testing is not recommended for asymptomatic patients. Any physician can order testing based on their clinical judgement.
Testing is being conducted by the state public health laboratory and some commercial labs. The state lab only tests samples from high-priority patients, which include:
- Hospitalized patients with a severe respiratory illness with no other known cause
- Patients with recent onset of similar fever and lower respiratory symptoms who are associated with others with a suspected outbreak of COVID-19
- Health care workers with direct contact to a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 case with recent fever and lower respiratory symptoms
- Homeless patients with suspected COVID-19
- Patients with suspected COVID-19 who are associated with a high-risk exposure setting such as a long-term care facility or a correctional facility
State lab results are typically available within the same day. Results times may vary at commercial labs.
For more information, contact the Louisiana 211 Network by dialing 211 or by texting LACOVID to 898-211, or visit the Louisiana Department of Health’s coronavirus website.
Stay home if you are sick. If you are concerned that you have been exposed to COVID-19, call your health care provider, who will determine whether you should be tested and, as appropriate, submit a sample for testing.
If you do not have a primary care provider or are uninsured, call an urgent care center or local health care facility for evaluation.
Anyone with severe symptoms (difficulty breathing or shortness of breath; persistent pain or chest pressure; new confusion or inability to arouse; bluish lips or face) should call 911 and go to a hospital emergency department.
Providers determine whether testing should be done based on symptoms, history of contact and travel and other risk factors.
Both the state public health lab and private labs are conducting tests. The state lab validates all presumptive positive tests from private labs.
The state lab is prioritizing testing for high risk individuals, which include symptomatic patients in one of the following categories:
- Hospitalized patients.
- Health care workers.
- First responders (EMS, Police, Fire, etc.).
- Those living in congregate settings (e.g. long-term care facilities, group homes, assisted livingfacilities, jails, shelters).
- Patients older than 60 years.
- Patients with underlying medical conditions.
Test results are available within 24 to 48 hours after samples are received by the state lab. Private lab results times may vary.
For more coronavirus information, contact Maine’s 211 system by calling 2-1-1 or 1-866-811-5695, texting your ZIP code to 898-211, or emailing info@211maine.org; or visit the Maine Center for Disease Control & Prevention’s website.
- If you become sick with fever, cough or have difficulty breathing, contact your health care provider, especially if you are over 60 years of age or have pre-existing medical conditions. If you do not have a health care provider, contact your local health department.
- If you need to seek care, call your health care provider, local health department or emergency room before you go; tell them about your symptoms, any recent travel and close contacts (such as people in your household); and wear a mask, if one is available.
- Testing is appropriate for those who are at highest risk for developing severe COVID-19 disease. People who are mildly ill should not go to emergency rooms but stay at home and call their health care provider for guidance.
- Your provider will decide if you should be tested based on several factors, including their clinical judgement, the availability of testing supplies and lab resources.
- When they deem appropriate, providers order tests and collect samples, which they then send to a laboratory for testing.
- There are multiple public and commercial labs conducting testing in the state. Results time varies depending on the lab.
- For more information, check the Maryland coronavirus website.
- If you develop symptoms and are a close contact of someone with COVID-19 or you are a resident in a community where there is ongoing spread, call your health care provider and tell them about your symptoms and exposure.
- People who are mildly ill may be able to isolate and care for themselves at home.
- Your provider will decide if you should be tested. If so, they will arrange for you to safely come in so they can take swabs and submit them to the state public health lab or a private lab.
- The state public health lab is prioritizing testing that will help identify places where public health action could be used to slow the transmission of disease and protect individuals at increased risk for severe illness and health care and critical infrastructure workforces.
- Test results are usually available within 24 hours from the state lab, depending on the volume of tests that day. Results times may vary for private labs.
- For more coronavirus information, call the state 2-1-1 line, which is now providing real-time COVID-19 information, resources and referrals in multiple languages, or visit the Massachusetts coronavirus website.
Call your health care provider if you have symptoms to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
If you do not have a provider or are uninsured, call the nearest urgent care center or hospital. Local health departments may also be able to provide guidance and connect you to a provider.
If you have mild illness, stay home (in a separate room from others, if possible) and monitor your symptoms. If your symptoms get worse, call your health care provider immediately. For medical emergencies, call 911 and notify the dispatch personnel that you have or may have COVID-19.
Providers request testing based on a patient’s signs, symptoms, travel history and risk and communicate with the local health department to keep the state informed.
The state public health lab is prioritizing testing for people with symptoms:
- who have been in contact with a known case of COVID-19
- who are part of a public health investigation (such as at a long-term care facility)
- who become symptomatic during a 14-day monitoring period (such as after travel to a region with widespread transmission)
- who have a likelihood of infecting many others (such as healthcare providers)
- who are part of a vulnerable population
- who are hospitalized without any other clear cause of illness
Testing is also being conducted by private labs and several hospitals labs.
Results from the state lab are available within 48 to 72 hours. The state is working on reducing wait time by training additional scientists and adding a second shift at the lab.
For more coronavirus information, call the state hotline at 1-888-535-6136 (available daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.), email COVID19@michigan.gov or visit the Michigan coronavirus website.
- Stay home when sick. If you have symptoms and can manage those symptoms at home, you don’t have to seek health care or be tested for COVID-19.
- If you are older or have underlying medical conditions, it may be helpful to call your health care provider if you have symptoms to see if they have specific advice for you. If you do not have a provider or are uninsured, call your local public health office, tribal health office or county health department.
- If your symptoms worsen, seek medical care right away and call ahead before going to a doctor’s office or emergency room to tell them about your symptoms so they can instruct you how to arrive while minimizing exposure to others.
- Providers determine if testing is needed and where to send samples. Testing is being conducted by the state public health lab, the University of Minnesota, Mayo Clinic and additional private labs.
- Due to limited supplies, the state lab is only testing the highest priority samples, which include hospitalized COVID-19 patients, ill health care workers and ill people living in group settings like nursing homes. People who do not have symptoms should not be tested for COVID-19.
- Test results are typically available within 48 to 72 hours.
- Patients with symptoms who are not able to be tested should isolate themselves from household and intimate contacts as much as possible. Household and intimate contacts of these individuals should limit their activities in public for 14 days after the incorporating precautions in the home, and monitor for symptoms.
- For more coronavirus information, call the state hotline at 651-201-3920 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. or visit the Minnesota Department of Health’s website.
- Stay home if you are sick. Call your health care provider if you have symptoms to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- Providers determine if someone should be tested. Priority is given by the state public health lab to high-risk patients and those with the most severe symptoms.
- The State Department of Health does not recommend testing anyone without symptoms.
- The department has a list of testing providers to call if you have symptoms and is setting up six drive-up testing sites across the state.
- For information about coronavirus in Mississippi, check the Mississippi Department of Health’s coronavirus website. You can also call the state hotline Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at (877) 978-6453.
Individuals who think they are sick or are getting sick should stay home and monitor for cough, shortness of breath, and fever. Practice social distancing to avoid the spread of any illness they may have.
- If you are symptomatic and have had contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, call your health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- If you are symptomatic, do not arrive at a health care provider or emergency room without calling ahead and alerting them to your symptoms.
- Providers determine if a patient should be tested and whether to contact the public health authorities or use a commercial lab.
- To be tested by the state public health laboratory, patients must meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Patients who don’t meet these requirements can consider testing at a commercial laboratory.
- State lab results are generally available within 24 hours. Commercial labs take approximately three days.
- For more details, the public can call the Missouri 24-hour coronavirus hotline by dialing 877-435-8411 or visit the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services’ website.
- Stay home if you are sick. Call ahead to a health care professional if you develop a fever and symptoms of respiratory illness, such as 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 to an area with ongoing spread.
- If you do not have a primary care provider, you can call a community health center or urgent care clinic.
- Providers are testing according to CDC guidance, focused on people with symptoms that could indicate COVID-19. Providers do not need department approval to administer a test, but the department consults on cases as necessary.
- Test results from the state public health lab are typically returned daily.
- For more coronavirus information, call the Joint Information Center at 1-888-333-0461, email covid19info@mt.gov, visit the Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services website or contact your county or tribal health department.
- Stay at home if you are sick. Call ahead to your health care provider if you are showing signs and symptoms of coronavirus to be evaluated and determine if you need to be tested.
- If you do not have a health care provider, there are several health care networks in the state you can call for assistance and evaluation. Call ahead and describe your symptoms before arriving in person so providers can limit potential exposure to others.
- Providers will determine if you should be tested based on your symptoms and risk of exposure through contact or travel.
- Test results from the state public health lab are expected between 24 to 48 hours. Private lab results can take three to four days.
- For information about coronavirus in Nebraska, call the state hotline at 402-552-6645 (available daily between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.) or check the Department of Health and Human Services’ website.
- If you are symptomatic and in need of medical care, call your health care provider to identify the safest way to receive care. Let them know if you have traveled to an affected area within the last 14 days or have been in close contact with a person known to have COVID-19.
- Local health districts urge residents to only contact their medical professional if it is a serious situation, in order to prevent health care facilities from being inundated with calls and avoid patients arriving at their locations without prior appointments.
- If you do not have a provider or are uninsured, call your local Federally Qualified Health Center for evaluation.
Testing decisions are made by the health care provider and public health departments on a case-by-case basis depending upon symptoms and potential exposures. Nevada has two public health laboratories conducting testing.
- For more information, visit the Nevada coronavirus website or call the Southern Nevada Health District’s Information Line at 702-759-INFO.
- Call your doctor or local health department to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. Patients who don’t have a primary care doctor can call a federally qualified health center or emergency department.
- To decide whether you need testing, providers refer to the CDC criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Specimens are tested by New Jersey’s Public Health and Environmental Laboratory and results are generally available within 24 to 48 hours.
- Patients who don’t meet priority criteria can discuss testing at commercial labs with their provider.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the New Jersey Department of Health’s website.
- Call your doctor or a health care provider if you think you need to be tested.
- If you develop severe symptoms and haven’t been tested, you should call ahead to an ER to tell them you are coming, or contact emergency medical services for transport to the facility. This advanced notice allowing the facility time to prepare and minimize unnecessary exposure to staff and other patients.
- The New Mexico Department of Health is implementing a 14-day home quarantine for people who have been in contact with confirmed COVID-19 cases, or who have traveled to areas of the world that are considered high-risk. The department conducts daily symptom and fever monitoring to determine if they develop symptoms. If so, epidemiologists arrange immediate testing and medical evaluation.
- People without symptoms of a respiratory infection are currently not being tested. Test results may not be accurate for asymptomatic people and do not reflect the risk of becoming infected in the future, according to the New Mexico Department of Health.
- The Department of Health’s scientific labs and select TriCore locations are conducting testing.
- Test results are generally available in 24 to 48 hours.
- For more coronavirus information, check the New Mexico Department of Health’s website or call the state hotline, available in English and Spanish, at 1-855-600-3453.
- Individuals with symptoms who may have traveled to areas of concern or have been in contact with somebody who has traveled to these areas should call ahead to their health care provider before seeking treatment in person.
- Health care providers determine whether a test should be done. Patients must meet the state’s criteria to be tested, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- New York state had 28 public and private labs conducting testing, as of March 13.
- The state’s public health lab can complete a test in three to five hours.
- For more information, call 1-888-364-3065 or visit the New York Department of Health’s website.
- Call your doctor or local health department to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- Patients must meet the state’s criteria to be tested, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Testing is conducted by the North Carolina Laboratory of Public Health and commercial labs.
- You can find more coronavirus information on the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services’ website.
- Call your health care provider if you have severe symptoms before going in. If you do not have a primary care provider, you can call a local clinic or your local public health unit.
- Providers decide if testing is needed and collect samples. The Department of Health then arranges for sample transport to the lab for analysis.
- Testing is conducted by the state public health lab.
- Only symptomatic people are being tested at this time.
- Results should be available in less than 24 hours.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the North Dakota Department of Health’s website.
If you are in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, feel unwell and have a temperature higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or have difficulty breathing, call your primary care provider.
If you do not have a primary care doctor, call the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHCC) or visit its Family Care Clinic.
CHCC now has a screening tent outside its main entrance where concerned individuals can speak with a physician, who will determine if further evaluation is necessary. The screening does not include testing.
If you feel unwell, but don’t have a temperature higher than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or don’t have difficulty breathing, stay home and take care of your symptoms.
Doctors determine who should be tested and are focusing on those most at risk of developing severe symptoms. There is no testing for people without symptoms. Depending on the location of patients approved for testing, samples are collected at the CHCC, the Tinian Health Center or the Rota Health Center.
The CNMI is sending samples to Guam’s public health lab for testing based on CDC criteria.
Results times vary based on when flights to Guam depart and the Guam lab’s schedule. The testing itself usually takes four to six hours.
For more coronavirus information, visit the CHCC’s website, read its fact sheet, or call on the CHCC’s numbers:
- 670-285-1352
- 670-285-1542
- 670-285-1672
- 670-285-1854
If you believe you have symptoms, call your health care provider or local health district to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.If you do not have a primary health care provider, call your local health district. They will be able to walk through symptoms with you and determine the next steps if you need to be tested. To decide whether you need testing, providers evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors, which include:
- Patients with a fever or signs/symptoms of lower respiratory illness who have had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient within 14 days of symptom onset.
- Patients who are hospitalized with a fever and signs/symptoms of lower respiratory illness, and a history of travel from affected geographic areas with widespread or sustained community transmission within 14 days of symptom onset.
- Patients with a fever, severe acute lower respiratory illness and a lack of alternative diagnosis.
At this time, asymptomatic people are not being tested. Testing is available from the Ohio Department of Health State lab, some private labs and several hospitals.Results from the state lab, private labs and some hospitals are generally available in 24 to 48 hours. For more coronavirus information, visit the Ohio Department of Health’s website or call their COVID-19 call center at 1-833-4-ASK-ODH.
- Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. If you do not have a provider, you can call the coronavirus call center at 877-215-8336.
- To decide whether you need testing, providers work with the Oklahoma State Department of Health and refer to the CDC criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Only the state lab is currently conducting tests.
- Results should be available within 24 to 48 hours.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the Oklahoma State Department of Health’s website.
Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. While hospitals can request lab testing for some high-risk patients, emergency rooms should not be considered a primary source for inquiring about testing.
For help finding a local health care provider near you, call Oregon’s 2-1-1 hotline or contact your county health clinic.
Testing by the state public health lab requires approval from the Oregon Health Authority and is conducting for patients with:
- Fever or symptoms of lower respiratory infection, such as cough or shortness of breath
- Travel in areas with high levels of COVID-19 transmission within 14 days of symptom onset
- Prolonged close contact (within 6 feet) with a person confirmed with COVID-19 infection
- Hospitalization with viral pneumonia not caused by the flu
- Other factors decided on a case-by-case basis, including health care workers
Commercial labs are also conducting testing, which is done at the discretion of the provider, and many in-house health care facility labs are expected to approved for testing soon.
For more coronavirus information, call 2-1-1 or visit the Oregon Health Authority’s website.
NBC News has reached out to the health authority with questions about testing and is awaiting additional response.
- Call the state hotline at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) if you think you may need to be tested. A public health professional will speak with you and determine if and where you should go for testing, such as the hospital or doctor’s office, and can then coordinate arrival at the health care facility to ensure you, the health care workers, and other visitors to the facility are all properly protected to prevent further exposures.
- The state typically only tests people who are symptomatic. If you are not symptomatic, decisions are made on a case by case basis.
- Pennsylvania has both public and private labs that can conduct tests. The state public lab requires approval by the health department for testing.
- Results from the state lab can be available in less than a day — testing takes on average four to six hours.
- For more coronavirus information, call 1-877-724-3258 or visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s website.
- Call your doctor if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. If you do not have a primary care doctor, contact an emergency room.
- If you are seeking medical care, call ahead to the facility and tell them that you may have coronavirus. This will allow the clinic or hospital to prepare before your arrival to protect staff, other patients and visitors.
- Doctors evaluate if testing should be done based on symptoms and risk and then order testing from the health department.
- Only people with symptoms are being tested.
- Samples are sent to the territory’s laboratory of public health for analysis and results are generally available between two and six hours after testing begins.
- For more coronavirus information, call the 24/7 hotline at 787-999-6202 or visit the department of health’s website.
- Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- Testing is decided on a case by case basis, considering symptoms, travel history and contact history.
- In general, asymptomatic people are not being tested.
- Specimens are collected by the provider, then sent to the Rhode Island Department of Health’s State Health Laboratories for analysis.
- Results are generally available within 24 to 48 hours.
- You can find more coronavirus information on Rhode Island Department of Health’s website.
- Call your doctor or health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- They will consult with the state health department to determine if testing is necessary based on the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Clinicians collect specimens before sending them to labs for analysis.
- Testing is conducted by the South Carolina Public Health Laboratory and two private labs, LabQuest and LabCorp.
- Results from the state lab are generally available within 24 hours.
- For more information, call the South Carolina coronavirus information line at 1-855-472-3432 or visit the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control’s website.
- Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- To be tested at the public health laboratory, patients must meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. The state has three priority levels for patients.
- Specimens are collected by the provider. They are then sent to the public health laboratory.
- Results could take up to 48 hours.
- For more information, call the South Dakota coronavirus information line at 1-800-977-2880 or visit the South Dakota Department of Health’s website.
- Call your health care provider if you have symptoms to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. If you are symptomatic but don’t have a health care provider, you can call your county health department and be referred to a clinic for evaluation.
- The public health lab is prioritizing symptomatic people with travel to high-risk areas, and those with contact to a laboratory-confirmed case or who are critically ill with no alternative diagnosis.
- If your provider decides to test you, your samples can be collected at most health care facilities, then sent to the state laboratory for analysis. If you don’t meet priority criteria, you can consider using a commercial laboratory.
- Tests performed by the state lab have to be approved by the Tennessee Department of Health. Private labs do not require approval.
- Results from the state lab should be available within 24 to 48 hours. Turnaround time can be affected by demand.
- The Tennessee Department of Health has a coronavirus website with updated information on the number of cases in the state, and guidance on travel and community events.
- Call the department’s COVID-19 public information hotline at 877-857-2945 for more information about the virus. It is available daily from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. CT.
- Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- To be tested by the public health laboratory, patients must meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. Public health testing also requires the local health department’s approval.
- Patients who don’t meet priority requirements can consider testing at commercial labs.
- Turnaround time for results depends on where the test is done and when it was sent.
- For more information, visit the Texas Health and Human Services Department website.
- If you or a loved one are showing coronavirus symptoms and have recently traveled to an area with person-to-person spread, or been in contact with someone with coronavirus, contact the Department of Health at 340-712-6299 or 340-776-1519. You will be given instructions on what to do next, which may include isolating yourself from others.
- If you are seeking medical care, call ahead to your doctors office or emergency room before arriving. Tell the health care provider about your symptoms and any recent travel. If you call 911 for a medical emergency, inform the operator you have COVID-19 symptoms.
- To decide whether testing is needed, the Department of Health uses the CDC criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- USVI does not currently have the ability to test for coronavirus and is sending samples to the CDC. The public health lab in the USVI is preparing to conduct tests and could begin testing samples as soon as next week. As of March 19, private testing is also being done by LabCorp.
- Test results are typically available from the CDC within six days. LabCorp results are expected in 72 hours. The public health lab will have an expected results time of 24 hours.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the department of health’s website.
- Call your health care provider if you have symptoms to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- If you do not have a health care provider, you can call the Utah coronavirus hotline at 1-800-456-7707, which will connect you with a provider – Intermountain Healthcare, University of Utah Health and MountainStar HCA have partnered with the state department of health to help triage patients without a primary care doctor and determine patient needs for care and possible testing.
- Providers can request tests from the Utah Department of Health based on a patient’s symptoms, travel history and risk. The state public health lab is prioritizing testing for people who are symptomatic and have exposure or risk.
- Providers can also choose to send samples to commercial labs for testing.
- Samples sent to the state lab must be approved by the department of health.
- For more information, call the Utah coronavirus hotline at 1-800-456-7707 or visit the state’s coronavirus website.
- NBC News reached out to the Utah Department of Health with questions about testing and is awaiting additional response.
- Call your health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- Providers determine whether a test is necessary based on the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- The state will ensure that anyone who meets the medical requirements for testing can do so at no cost.
- Your health care provider will arrange for testing. Specimens are collected at hospitals and clinical labs. They are then sent to the Vermont Department of Health Lab for analysis.
- Results are generally available within 24 to 48 hours and are reported to the hospital or clinical lab where the test was collected.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the Vermont Department of Health’s website.
- Call your health care provider if you are symptomatic to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing. Do not go to your local health department for testing.
- Your provider will work with your state or local public health department and the CDC to determine if you need to be tested.
- To be tested at the public health laboratory, patients must meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. Alternatively, patients can consider testing at commercial labs, which don’t have set requirements and don’t need an approval from the state department.
- Results from the state’s public health lab are generally available within 24 hours.
- For more coronavirus information, visit the Virginia Department of Health’s website.
- Call your health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- Currently, there are no restrictions on who can be tested, however, it’s up to the provider to decide.
- Sample collection is done at the provider’s office. Samples are then sent to facilities such as the Washington State Public Health Lab or the University of Washington Virology Lab for analysis.
- Results are generally available within 24 to 48 hours. Turnaround time can be affected by demand.
- For more information, read the Washington State Department of Health’s medium article on testing or visit the department’s coronavirus website.
- Call your health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- To decide whether you need testing, providers refer to the CDC criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors.
- Sample collection is done at the provider’s office then sent to a lab.
- Samples can be tested by the state public health lab, commercial labs and some hospitals.
- Results from the state lab are typically available in 24 hours, but can take up to 72 hours. Commercial lab result times may vary.
- For more coronavirus information, call the state COVID-19 hotline at 1-800-887-4304 or visit the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources’ website.
- Call your health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- To decide whether you need testing, clinicians refer to the CDC criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. Clinicians can order tests without health department approval.
- Tests are conducted by the Wisconsin State Lab of Hygiene and Milwaukee Health Department Lab. More private labs are also coming online.
- Test results are generally available within 24 to 48 hours.
- For more information, visit the Wisconsin Department of Health Services’ website.
- Call your health care provider to discuss whether you should be evaluated in person and considered for testing.
- To be tested by the Wyoming Public Health Laboratory, patients must meet the state’s criteria, which evaluates a combination of symptoms and risk factors. Clinicians can order tests without health department approval.
- Patients who do not meet priority requirements can consider testing at commercial labs.
- Providers collect specimens and send them to the public health lab or commercial labs for analysis.
- Results from the public lab are generally available within 24 hours. Turnaround times for commercial labs are currently unknown.
- For more information, visit the Wyoming Department of Health’s website.