Who should get tested?

While everyone can get tested (whether you have symptoms or not) not everyone needs to. However, if you meet any of these criteria you definitely should. Under these criteria you should also self-quarantine/isolate at home as you wait for your results, and follow the advice of your health care provider or public health professional.

• People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
• People who have had close contact (within 6 feet for at least 15 minutes during a 24 hour period) with someone who has tested positive for COVID-19.
• People who have asked or referred to get testing by their health care provider. Learn More
• People in certain higher-risk jobs (health care, first responder, corrections, long-term care) are recommended to get tested on a regular schedule.

People who don’t meet the above criteria are recommended to get tested once a month.

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Testing FAQ's

Where to get tested:

In-Person

Delaware has permanent testing sites at Division of Public Health Clinics, State Service Centers, Walgreens and Rite-Aids. There are also semi-permanent community sites operated by health care systems, and pop-up and school sites operated by Curative, Inc. Most of these sites do not require the individual to have symptoms to be tested. While some sites do not require appointments, it will save you waiting time if you do make an appointment or pre-register.

At Home

At-home testing kits are available for Delawareans residents, especially for teachers, staff and students of Delaware schools, Delawareans over the age of 60, those in high-risk groups, and anyone who has been in a large gathering or had any higher risk contact, such as interacting with others without a face covering or appropriate social distancing.

School Testing Locations

There are tests available for K-12 students, educators, and staff.

DPH recommends students, educators, and staff get tested at least once per month as part of the state’s efforts to identify and decrease the spread of COVID-19 in our schools and community. DPH and the Delaware Emergency Management Agency (DEMA) have worked closely with schools and districts statewide to offer multiple testing options to meet the needs of students, educators and staff, including:

• School district and charter testing sites to assist with school reopenings.
• Contracting with Mako Medical to work directly with school districts for testing options.
• Community testing sites through commercial pharmacies, State Service Centers and Public Health Clinics.
• Routine at-home testing kits for educators and staff.

In partnership with Nemours Children’s Health System and other pediatric care providers, the State of Delaware also has added rapid point-of-care antigen tests, which can diagnose COVID-19 infection in as little as 15 minutes, to support its overall testing strategy and increase access to testing for K-12 students. The tests are largely being distributed to outpatient clinical settings providing care to children and adolescents, especially those currently in child care and in-person learning environments.

Depending on the type of test, results could take anywhere from minutes to days.

If you test postive, know what protective steps to take to prevent others from getting sick.

If you test negative, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. The result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing. Continue to take steps to protect yourself from getting the virus including consistently wearing a face covering when in public or around people who don’t live with you, and social distancing.