California Testing Availability

Testing for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is now available in a number of public health, commercial and hospital laboratories in California, however broad scale testing is not available. People who may be considered for testing depending on clinical severity and community health relevance include:

1. Hospitalized patients who have signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19 in order to inform decisions related to infection control or medical management.
2. Residents and staff of long-term care facilities with signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19.
3. Others who are at higher risk for severe infection with signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19. These persons include older adults (age >65 years) and individuals with chronic medical conditions.
4. Residents and staff of correctional facilities and other congregate settings with signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19.
5. Healthcare personnel with signs and symptoms compatible with COVID-19.

People in these categories with mild illness should contact their health care provider by phone to discuss the need for testing.

Those with mild respiratory symptoms who do not otherwise need medical care and who are not in one of the above groups should not be routinely tested for COVID-19. These persons should care for themselves at home as they normally would for a mild illness.

For more information, visit California Department of Public Health's website.