What You Should Know About COVID-19 Testing In Connecticut

CT.gov
Updated ·5 min read

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As the state of Connecticut continues to reopen, residents should follow the recommended measures for social distancing, hand-washing, mask-wearing and sanitation. Continued COVID-19 testing is also essential to the health and well-being of everyone in the state.

Fortunately, there are several options to get a free COVID-19 test in Connecticut, regardless of your health insurance or immigration status. Here's what you need to know, courtesy of CT.gov.

Who Should Get Tested For Coronavirus?

If you're experiencing any of the symptoms that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified for COVID-19, you need to get tested. Symptoms may appear two to 14 days after exposure to the virus and may include:

  • Fever or chills

  • Cough

  • Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing

  • Fatigue

  • Muscle or body aches

  • Headache

  • New loss of taste or smell

  • Sore throat

  • Congestion or runny nose

  • Nausea or vomiting

  • Diarrhea

If you think you might have been in contact with someone who had COVID-19, you should get tested even if you're asymptomatic. Employers of front-line workers — including health care professionals, first responders and staff in assisted living facilities, nursing homes, managed residential communities and correctional institutions — will likely help facilitate, and require regular testing. Those who are homeless or living in high-risk communities should get tested regularly as well, and will likely be contacted by community-based organizations to get connected with a Federally Qualified Health Center. Students returning to school in the fall also have testing requirements through their institutions.

Where Can You Get A Coronavirus Test?

If you think you have COVID-19, contact your primary care provider. According to CT.gov, many primary care providers are set up to test their patients on-site.

If you don't have a primary care provider, you can still get tested for the coronavirus. There are places such as community health centers as well as many drive-up and walk-up testing sites across the state. Please visit ct.gov/coronavirus and type in your ZIP code — or call 211 to find a test.

Who Can Get A Coronavirus Test?

All Connecticut residents can get a COVID-19 test, regardless of health insurance or immigration status. When you make an appointment to get tested at a hospital, pharmacy or community-based health center or one of their pop-up locations, you should plan to call ahead to confirm that the site provides testing and related services for people without health insurance, regardless of immigration status.

How Much Will It Cost?

According to CT.gov, private insurance carriers and the state's HUSKY Health Program will not charge out-of-pocket costs for COVID-19 testing provided to those with symptoms, or medical needs. If you are asymptomatic and plan to get tested, you should check with your insurance carrier to find out the cost.

How Long Will It Take To Get COVID-19 Test Results?

Test results at rapid testing sites may take as little as 15 minutes. However, most testing sites send samples to a lab, and results may take a few days to get back. The state’s testing site information will indicate whether or not a site offers rapid testing. It's important to stay home and self-isolate, even if you’re young and healthy, while waiting for your test results. Coming into close contact with others could spread the virus.

What Happens If You Test Positive For The Coronavirus?

For those testing positive for COVID-19, the CDC recommends staying away from others until:

  • You've gone three days with no fever.

  • Your respiratory symptoms have improved (e.g., cough, shortness of breath).

  • It has been 10 days since symptoms first appeared.

Depending on your health care provider's advice, you may need to get tested again to see if you still have the coronavirus.

What Is Contact Tracing, And Why Should You Participate?

If you test positive for the coronavirus, someone from the Connecticut Department of Public Health or your local health department will call you and ask you for a list of people you have had close contact with while you were sick or just before you got sick. This process is called contact tracing, and while it’s entirely voluntary, it is vital to the state's success in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 over the summer and into the fall.

Understanding who has been in contact with people who tested positive as they contracted the virus provides critical information for contact tracers to work with. They can connect with individuals who may be carrying the virus, preventing their own families, loved ones, and co-workers from getting infected. You should also know that your information will be protected in this process.

Even one person participating with contact tracing could save many lives. Learn more about ContaCT, Connecticut's statewide voluntary and confidential software system for monitoring the health and well-being of people affected by COVID-19.

Head to ct.gov/coronavirus for everything you need to know about COVID-19, testing and Connecticut's plan to reopen the state.

Sources:
CT.gov: Connecticut COVID-19 Response
CT.gov: Where Do I Go To Get Tested For COVID-19?
CDC.gov: Symptoms Of Coronavirus
CDC.gov: When You Can Be Around Others After You Had Or Likely Had COVID-19
CT.gov: Connecticut's Contact Tracing Platform

[NORECIRC]

This article originally appeared on the Greater Hartford Patch