When to Do an At-Home COVID Test
Updated: Jul 23, 2022
As more home covid tests become available (thank goodness), you might be wondering when exactly you should test yourself for covid. Understandably this can be a confusing area.
Self-testing with home covid tests is an important way to keep yourself safe as well as keeping those around you safe from covid. Using home self-tests is an important modality for helping control the spread of covid as a whole and as more tests become available we should use them.
Home COVID Tests
As a reminder, the US Government is providing free covid tests to households who request them. You can request your free covid tests here. Here is an on-line tutorial for requesting these tests.
If you are purchasing your home covid tests online or at stores, please use this reference to find approved home tests, as not all home tests are legitimate.
For instructions on how to use home covid tests, please watch here:
When to Use an At-Home COVID Test:
According to the CDC, here are important times to test:
If you have COVID-19 symptoms, use a self-test immediately
If you were a *close contact of someone with COVID-19, self-test after at least 5 days, plus a second test in 1 or 2 days if your first test is negative (See Serial Testing, below). *A close contact is is anyone who was less than 6 feet away from you for a combined total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
If you are testing before a gathering, test immediately before the gathering (or as close in time to the event as possible)
In addition, the CDC has a wonderful "Coronaviru Self-Checker" interactive clinical assessment tool that "helps individuals ages 13 and older, and parents and caregivers of children ages 2 to 12 on deciding when to seek testing or medical care if they suspect they or someone they know has contracted COVID-19 or has come into close contact with someone who has COVID-19."
Avoid Testing Mistakes
Finally, here are mistakes to avoid when doing your at-home covid test:
I hope this is helpful, please feel free to email me at info@jennifercaudle.com to let me know.
Dr. Jen
Dr. Jen Caudle is a Family Doctor & Associate Professor at Rowan University, an On-air health expert, and a video creator. Please sign up for her free newsletter and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube for daily health videos.
Thank you, Dr. Jen, for this clear and practical guide. The point about testing straight away when symptoms appear, waiting at least five days after a close contact and then retesting, and testing just before a gathering really helped me understand why timing matters so much. I also found the warning about common mistakes useful, because testing too early or rushing the swab can give a false sense of security. For clear, practical health and wellness reporting in this same spirit, I also follow https://corporatewirepress.com/
Thank you Dr. Jen for laying out the timing so clearly. Testing immediately when symptoms start, waiting at least five days after a close contact and retesting, and testing as close as possible to a gathering all make a lot more sense when the reasons are explained this way. I also appreciated the reminder about common mistakes, because a rushed swab or testing too early can easily give a misleading result. For clear, practical health and wellness reporting that helps put guidance like this in context, I also follow:
corporatewirepress.com
It is a useful habit to double-check the latest CDC advice before relying on any single test result.
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One of the things I found helpful was the way the article connects the main topic with practical considerations. That makes the information easier to relate to instead of leaving it as a purely theoretical discussion. bdggame The explanations are also simple enough to understand without additional research. I liked the overall approach and found several points that I can keep in mind going forward.