Get tested in San Francisco

Any time you feel sick or have a known exposure, get tested.

Map of free & paid sites

Get tested

Always

Get tested when any of these apply:

  • When you have Covid-19 symptoms.
  • When you’ve had close contact with someone who has COVID-19, test 5 days after your exposure. Testing earlier to find out if you’re positive is optional.
  • When asked by your school, workplace, doctor, or the Department Public of Health.

Optionally

Think about getting tested in these situations:

  • Before and after activities that put you or others at higher risk for COVID-19, like attending large gatherings or being in crowded indoor settings.
  • When you work somewhere with a higher risk of COVID-19 transmission, like homeless shelters, jails, and settings with close contact with the public. See detailed testing guidance from the State.
  • Right after a close contact with someone who has COVID-19. Earlier treatments might be open to you, and you can let anyone exposed to you know sooner if your test is positive.

For travel

No matter your vaccine status:

When you’re not vaccinated:

COVID-19 symptoms

  • Fever over 100.4° Fahrenheit or 38.0° Celsius 
  • Chills (shivering a lot) 
  • Cough 
  • Difficulty breathing 
  • Fatigue or soreness 
  • Loss of smell or taste 
  • Sore throat 
  • Headache 
  • Runny or stuffy nose 
  • Diarrhea, feeling sick to your stomach, or throwing up

Your child does not have to get tested if they:

  • Only have a runny or stuffy nose and
  • No close contact with someone with COVID-19

 

Cost and privacy

Cost

  • Some places offer tests for free and do not require insurance.
  • Tests at San Francisco-run sites are free. But if you have health insurance, the City will bill your insurance.

Privacy

  • You do not need a doctor's note to schedule a test.
  • The personal info you provide is confidential. Your test result will be reported to the health departments in San Francisco, your home county, and the state.
  • If you shared the name of your doctor, your doctor will also get your results.
  • A parent or guardian must consent in person to testing a child under 13. The guardian will get the results.
  • Youth between 13 and 17 can get tested on their own. They can get their own test results.

After your test

  • You should get your results in less than 48 hours.
  • If you feel sick, isolate until you get tested or after talking to a doctor. 

For those who’ve had an exposure and are not up-to-date on vaccines:

  • In most cases you need to quarantine for at least 5 days.

You are not up to date on your COVID-19 vaccines if you are:

  • Unvaccinated
  • Partially vaccinated
  • Fully vaccinated but due for a booster

For more information about all situations needing isolation and quarantine, see official guidance from the Department of Public Health.

At-home testing

If you cannot get tested at a clinic or with your healthcare provider, you could use a self-collection kit. These kits can be done anywhere. They are sometimes called “home tests” or  “at-home tests.” You can get these with a prescription, or over-the-counter in pharmacies or by mail.

These might not be allowed for healthcare purposes or traveling. Check any travel or healthcare requirements before you use the test.

At-home tests are used to check if you are infected now. They cannot tell you if you were infected in the past. At-home tests can be antigen or molecular tests. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and other nucleic acid amplification tests (NAAT), or PCR/NAAT, are types of molecular tests. The FDA has information on which antigen and PCR/NAAT self-tests to use.

The San Francisco Department of Public Health has more information on when to use at-home self-tests. 

Testing locations and more

Get tested outside home

At your doctor's

When you have insurance, contact your doctor for Covid-19 testing.
By appointment

Make an appointment to get tested for Covid-19.
Drop in

Find where to get tested for Covid-19 without an appointment.

After your test

Isolating at home when you have COVID-19

If you feel sick or test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least 10 days.
Quarantining for COVID-19

What to do if you live with, or had close contact with, someone who has COVID-19.
Stay healthy during the coronavirus pandemic

Personal hygiene, cleaning, and health tips to prevent COVID-19, especially for older adults.
Participate in COVID-19 research

Join studies if you tested positive for COVID-19, or have been exposed to someone who is COVID-19 positive.

Get help

Get food resources

Help for people having trouble getting or affording food during the coronavirus pandemic.
Mental health resources

Access to mental health and substance use services.
Get housing help during the coronavirus pandemic

Apply for financial help to pay your rent, mortgage, or HOA dues. Information about the eviction moratorium.
Help for immigrants during the coronavirus pandemic

Immigration updates and financial resources for immigrants.

About testing partners

Color is a health tech company providing a high volume COVID-19 test lab for multiple sites and mobile testing in SF.

One Medical is a national primary care practice. They operate numerous test sites throughout the US.

Optum provides COVID-19 testing at over 80 sites across CA, including City College.

Carbon Health is a tech-enabled healthcare provider with clinics across CA, virtual care in multiple states, and COVID-19 testing nationwide.

About

The COVID-19 test detects if you have the virus at the time you take the test. It does not test for immunity or if you had the virus in the past.

If your test is negative, you must still be careful. You can still get infected. Or you could still have COVID-19, but the test does not show you are infected yet. If you have COVID-19 symptoms later, you can get tested again.

Have questions or need more help? Call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Departments

Department of Public Health