COVID-19 Self-Testing Guidance

Self-tests for COVID-19 give rapid results and can be taken anywhere, regardless of your vaccination status or whether or not you have symptoms.
When To Take an At-Home COVID-19 Test:
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Test immediately if you have any COVID-19 symptoms
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Test at least 5 days after you were exposed to someone with COVID-19. If you test negative for COVID-19, consider testing again 1 to 2 days after your first test
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Test before you go to an indoor event or a gathering. This is especially important before gathering with individuals at risk of severe disease, older adults, those who are immunocompromised, or people who are not up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines, including children who cannot get vaccinated yet
For guidance on using tests to determine which mitigations are recommended as you recover from COVID-19, go to Isolation and Precautions for People with COVID-19.

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A positive test result on an at-home COVID-19 test does NOT need to be confirmed by a medical provider.
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You do NOT need to report your positive result to the SD DOH.
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Isolate yourself from others. As much as possible, stay in a specific room and away from other people and pets in your home.
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Tell your close contacts that they may have been exposed to COVID-19. An infected person can spread COVID-19 starting 48 (or 2 days) before the person has any symptoms or tests positive. By letting your close contacts know they may have been exposed to COVID-19, you are helping to protect everyone.
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Monitor your symptoms. If you have an emergency warning sign (including trouble breathing), seek medical care immediately.
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If you are at an increased risk of becoming very sick, treatment maybe be available. Contact your health care provider right away if your test result is positive.

If you were exposed to COVID-19 or have been told by a healthcare provider or public health authority that you were exposed, there are the steps that you should take, regardless of your vaccination status or if you have had a previous infection.
Wear a mask as soon as you find out you were exposed
Start counting from Day 1
Day 0 is the day of your last exposure to someone with COVID-19
Day 1 is the first full day after your last exposure
Wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 6
Take extra precautions if you will be around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19.
Get tested at least 5 full days after your last exposure, even if you don't develop symptoms
If you test negative, continue taking precautions through day 10
You can still develp COVID-19 up to 10 days after exposure
If you test positive, isolate immediately
Watch for symptoms
If you develop symptoms:
Stay home until you know the result

When to Isolate
Regardless of vaccination status, you should isolate from others when you have COVID-19. You should also isolate if you are sick and suspect that you have COVID-19 but do not yet have test results. If your results are positive, follow the full isolation recommendations found here. If your results are negative, you can end your isolation.
When you have COVID-19, isolation is counted in days, as follows: If you had no symptoms
Day 0 is the day you were tested (not the day you received your positive test result)
Day 1 is the first full day following the day you were tested
If you develop symptoms within 10 days of when you were tested, the clock restarts at day 0 on the day of symptom onset
If you had symptoms
Day 0 of isolation is the day of symptom onset, regardless of when you tested positive
Day 1 is the first full day after the day your symptoms started
Ending Isolation
End isolation based on how serious your COVID-19 symptoms were.
If you test positive for COVID-19, stay home for at least 5 days and isolate from others in your home. You are likely most infectious during these first 5 days. Wear a high-quality mask when you must be around others at home and in public.
If after 5 days you are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication, and your symptoms are improving, or you never had symptoms, you may end isolation after day 5.
Regardless of when you end isolation, avoid being around people who are more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 until at least day 11.
You should wear a high-quality mask through day 10.
Loss of taste and smell may persist for weeks or months after recovery and need not delay the end of isolation.
If you had moderate illness (if you experienced shortness of breath or had difficulty breathing) or severe illness (you were hospitalized) due to COVID-19 or you have a weakened immune system, you need to isolate through day 10.
After you have ended isolation, if your COVID-19 symptoms worsen, restart your isolation at day 0. Talk to a healthcare provider if you have questions about your symptoms or when to end isolation.

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- COVID.gov - Find COVID-19 guidance and resources to protect you, your family, and your community
- Operation Expanded Testing (OpET) provides no-cost laboratory-based testing to childcare centers, K-12 schools, congregate settings, and other communities who have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Strong Schools Testing Information (DOE)
At-Home Testing Guidelines (flyer)
Got Symptoms? Get Tested. (flyer)
Multi-Language Testing Resources - translated instructions for at-home tests, conversation guides, fact sheets and more. (NRC-RIM)
- Travel Health
CDC Resources