What COVID-19 test should I do?

1. You have COVID-19 symptoms. It is especially important if you are at higher risk of severe illness to get a test so you can access treatment earlier.
2. You are at higher risk of severe illness and have been recently exposed to someone with COVID-19. Early diagnosis means you can access treatment earlier.
3. You are a household contact or have had a high or moderate risk exposure to someone with COVID-19. This will help you know if you have COVID-19 sooner.

You do not need to test or self-isolate if you have had COVID-19 and been released from self-isolation in the last 12 weeks. If you are at higher risk of severe illness and your diagnosis was not confirmed by a PCR test, you should get a PCR test if you get symptoms.

See information for people exposed to COVID-19 for more information about when to get tested.

• People aged 60 years and older
• Pregnant women
• Aboriginal, Torres Strait Islander and Pacific Islander people (from age 35 years and over)
• People with obesity, diabetes, serious cardiovascular disease, chronic lung disease (including severe asthma requiring hospitalisation in last 12 months), severe chronic liver or kidney disease, active cancer or who are immunocompromised
• Some people with a disability including those with a disability that affects their lungs, heart or immune system
• Residents of aged care and disability care facilities
• People aged 18 years and older who are unvaccinated

There are two different tests you can get to check if you have COVID-19:

• a rapid antigen test (RAT) that you can do yourself
• a PCR test that is done at a testing clinic

If you are at higher risk of severe illness you should get a PCR test as they are more accurate. There are treatments available that can only be prescribed in the early stages of the disease. If you can’t get a PCR test result quickly, do a rapid antigen test (if you have one) while you wait for the PCR test result.

If you are not at higher risk of severe illness, do a rapid antigen test unless your doctor tells you to have a PCR test.

Specific testing advice is available for residents of aged care facilities. Speak to your residential aged care provider if you have questions, or see the Protocol for RAT and PCR testing in residential aged care.

PCR tests

• If you have a positive PCR test result, even if you don’t have symptoms, you have COVID-19. You must follow the advice for people testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home.
• If you have a negative PCR test result you do not currently have COVID-19. If you have been recently exposed to a person with COVID-19, you need to continue to follow the self-isolation advice for people exposed to COVID-19 as you may still be developing the infection.

Rapid antigen tests

If you have COVID-19 symptoms and:

• the rapid antigen test is positive, register the result with Service NSW and follow the advice for people testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home.
• the rapid antigen test is negative and you are at higher risk of severe illness, keep self-isolating until you get your PCR test result, as this will be the more accurate result.
• the rapid antigen test is negative, and you are not at higher risk of severe illness, have a PCR test right away or another rapid antigen test 24 hours later. Keep self-isolating until you get the results of your second test. If the second test is negative you do not have COVID-19. You should stay at home until you recover from your illness.      

If you have no COVID-19 symptoms and:

• the rapid antigen test is positive, register the result with Service NSW and follow the advice for people testing positive to COVID-19 and managing COVID-19 safely at home. You can have a PCR test to confirm the result (as it is more accurate). If you do get a PCR test within 24 hours of your rapid antigen test and it is negative, you can stop self-isolating. Get another test if you develop symptoms.
• the rapid antigen test is negative, you are unlikely to have COVID-19. If you are at higher risk of severe illness and have been recently exposed to COVID-19 in your household, you should have a PCR test right away. If the PCR test is negative, you must continue to isolate for 7 days, and get another test at day 6 and if you develop symptoms.

Information in your language will be available soon.