When should you get tested for COVID-19?

July 9, 2020
1 min read
As Georgia's number of coronavirus cases continue to surge, the number of people exposed to the virus continues to climb, leaving many Georgians to wonder when the ideal time is to get tested.
A hospital staff member tests for coronavirus at a drive-up test site at Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany. (Photo courtesy of Phoebe Putney)

As Georgia’s number of coronavirus cases continue to surge, the number of people exposed to the virus continues to climb, leaving many Georgians to wonder when the ideal time is to get tested.

According to the Burke County Health Department, the ideal time to get tested is between four and seven days from when you are first exposed to the virus. You are considered exposed when you have been less than six feet away from someone who has COVID-19 for 10 to 30 minutes without a face covering, the department says.

Getting tested too soon could result in an inaccurate test.

As of 3 p.m. Thursday, Georgia had reported 2,837 new cases of COVID-19, 106 new hospitalizations and 8 new deaths. The total number of cases is 106,727 and the total number of deaths is 2,930.

The state has processed 1,019,422 tests and 9.6% of those tests have been positive for COVID-19. On Thursday alone, the state completed 19,013 tests and 14.3% were positive.

A total of 174,915 antibody tests have been performed with 5.2% of those coming back positive.


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