āāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāāTesting can help you know if you have COVID-19 so you can decide what to do next. You may want to get treatment to reduce your risk of severe illness and take precautions to lower your chances of spreading the virus to others. āā
āWhen Should You Tāest for COVID-19?
Getting a āCOVID-19 test āÆ āÆ
Buy Self Tesāāts (Aāt-Home Tests)āÆ
Plan ahead to have COVID-19 tests on hand before you get sick. You can test yourself at home and get results in fewer than 30 minutes.āÆāÆ
- āāBuy at-home tests online or in pharmacies and retail stores. If you have health insurance, you may be reimbursed the cost of the test.āÆ
- In late September 2024, U.S. households will be able to order 4 free COVID-19 tests at COVIDTests.gov.āÆ
Get Tested at a Testing Site Near YouāÆ
Test kits for those with Medi-Cal or MedicareāÆāÆ
Before you throw out āexpiredā testsāÆ
- Most at-home tests can be safely used past the expiration date on the box. Check the test kit to see if the expiration dates have been extended on the FDA's At-Home COVID-19 Test page.āÆ
- Replace your tests with fresh ones as the extended expiration dates approach. If you have to, you can use expired tests until you can get new ones, as long as the control line is working. See your test instructions for details about the control line.āÆ
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