
Get tested in San Francisco
Any time you feel sick or have a known exposure, get tested.
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:
- For all international travel to the United States, you must get tested within 24 hours of your flight
- For all travel to California from other states or countries, you should get tested 3 to 5 days after you arrive in California
When you’re not vaccinated:
- You should avoid traveling for leisure
- If you come back to San Francisco from outside California, you should quarantine for 5 days. During quarantine, get tested 3 to 5 days after your return
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:
- They only have a runny nose
- They have had no close contact with someone with COVID-19
Cost and privacy
Cost
- Get 4 free rapid antigen tests for your household at https://www.covidtests.gov/
- 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
Types of tests
There are 2 types of tests that can tell if you have COVID-19 now:
- Antigen tests
- PCR or NAAT
You can get antigen and PCR/NAAT tests done in a clinic, test site, or lab.
You can also do antigen and PCR/NAAT tests at home. These are called at-home or over-the-counter tests.
An antigen test is better than a PCR test when:
- You want to end isolation
- You have a close contact to someone with COVID-19 but you had an infection with COVID-19 in the last 90 days
This is because antigen testing is better at picking up virus that is still infectious. PCR tests can stay positive for longer than the infectious period.
Antigen tests may miss early infection. If you have symptoms or are a close contact and tested negative, test again in 1-2 days.
There is also an antibody test. This test tells you if you had COVID-19 in the past. These are done in a clinic or lab.
At-home testing
At-home tests tell you if you have COVID-19 now. They cannot tell you if you had an infection in the past.
Get home tests over-the-counter in pharmacies or by mail. You can also get 4 free rapid antigen tests for your household at https://www.covidtests.gov/.
At-home tests can be rapid antigen or molecular tests (PCR/NAAT). The FDA has information on which antigen and PCR/NAAT self-tests to use.
You might not be able to use an at-home test for healthcare purposes or travel. Check any healthcare or travel requirements before you use the test.
At-home tests may be used to return to work, school, or a non-healthcare setting. If your employer asks for a test, please contact your supervisor for instructions about how to report your test results.
There is no printout of your results with most at-home tests. The Department of Public Health (DPH) will not provide a letter of your results. Healthcare providers may not provide a letter because they did not see you do the test.
When you test positive using an at-home test:
- You most likely have COVID-19, even if you don’t have symptoms
- You don’t have to confirm the result by going to a lab, clinic or testing site
- Let your doctor know about your result
- You don’t have to report your positive result to the Department of Public Health
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
After your test
Get help

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.