What To Do If You Think You Should Be Tested For Coronavirus
FORT WORTH (CBSDFW.COM) - There is a lot on uncertainty about who should be tested for COVID-19, who to contact for testing and where to go to get tested.
CBS 11 reached out to county health officials and doctors to answer your questions about testing.
The Texas Department of Health and Human Services says the decision is ultimately up to your physician.
The White House held a news conference Thursday, telling Americans not to get tested unless you are showing signs and symptoms of COVID-19. According to North Texas county websites, if you are experiencing all the symptoms of the illness, you should contact your doctor.
"It's important to remember if you don't have any symptoms you don't need to be tested," said Vice President Mike Pence.
In order to limit exposure to others, physicians recommend calling the office before walking into a clinic.
Tarrant County Public Health advises the same thing and encourages people to avoid emergency rooms unless they are experiencing a medical emergency.
Some healthcare groups are FDA-approved to test for the virus at in-house laboratories.
Most primary care offices can test by sending the collected specimen to private companies like Lab Corp. and Quest Diagnostics.
However, these tests cost money and results can take days.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the highest number of tests are from private companies.
Both private companies and local governments are prioritizing people for testing who are higher-risk.
"Folks who are elderly, folks who are over the age of 65, they have other health conditions and would need to be tested," explains Dr. Nikhil Bhayani, an infectious disease expert at Texas Health Resources.
He said people who are not showing any symptoms and have not been in contact with known COVID-19 cases, do not need to be tested.
"I've heard many scenarios where someone has told me, 'this person I work next to just came back from South Korea. I think I need to get tested.' There's no reason for that," said Bhayani.
Dallas County officials are working to set up a number of drive-thru test sites.
For more information about symptoms, visit the CDC's COVID-19 information page.