Find out about your COVID-19 testing options

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.