What To Know Before Getting A COVID-19 Test

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I tried to get a COVID-19 test recently and was surprised the experience was nothing like I’d expected. I have been feeling perfectly fine, but I have been around a handful of individuals in outdoor settings for socially distanced hangs, so I figured it would just be a good idea to get tested – just in case. So I just hopped online and typed in “COVID testing near me” and was instantly overwhelmed by the results. I thought they were just handing these out on street corners! Not so at all. I also thought it was a blood test. Also not true – that’s for the antibody test, but not for the COVID-19 test. Those who fear needles may be relieved to hear that, but the actual test for COVID-19 isn’t much more pleasant than a little prick to the arm. If you are going to get your first COVID-19 test, there are some things worth knowing in advance. There are a lot of questions circulating out there, that it can be hard to find answers to, so we’ve tried to put them all here.

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You’ll likely need an appointment

Though in some towns you can just walk up to a clinic and potentially get tested within 15 minutes, that’s actually pretty rare. And if it’s important to you to have a test on a certain timeline, then you should schedule an appointment online. You may find there are none available for several days. So waiting until the last minute may ruin your plans.