How do I get tested for COVID-19?

The following are options for COVID-19 disease testing:

· Dignity Health urgent care: https://www.gohealthuc.com/bayarea/covid-19-test

· Carbon Health:

https://carbonhealth.com/coronavirus

· Walgreens Pharmacy

https://www.walgreens.com/topic/promotion/covid-testing.jsp

· Sutter Health via MyHealth Online—go to your My Health page and go to Schedule An Appointment, Testing and Screening section

· Home testing kits that use antigen testing like LetsGetChecked, Binax, BD Veritor, Quidel, etc. These are of variable accuracy. There are a lot of false negatives if taken early in the disease. If the test shows that you do have COVID, however, it is very accurate and unlikely to be wrong. Don’t depend on a normal at home test if it’s negative/normal especially if you have symptoms. Follow it up by a PCR test. Many experts in the field recommend doing a test right before gathering with people from other households. This will potentially stop some disease transmission but will not stop all transmission. The bottom line is no test is perfect.

· The Cue home test, authorized for emergency use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is a type of nucleic acid amplification test (NAAT), and the company says that its method has comparable accuracy to polymerase chain reaction tests (commonly called "PCR tests").  One small study of 292 patients at the Mayo clinic confirmed the accuracy. It is costly but more accurate--the test reader is $249, with three-packs of test cartridges at $225. Lucira is another NAAT home test.