Some people who have flu-like symptoms may not be sure if they should get tested for COVID-19. The Washoe County Health District has a set of criteria for who should be tested. The criteria the district sets is based on recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Kevin Dick with the health district said testing criteria is based on a variety of factors, which may include the symptoms an individual is exhibiting, recent travel, or whether someone has been exposed to another person who has a confirmed case of COVID-19.
"It will depend on how they are ranked in our risk criteria, as far as priority," Dick said. "So if they have mild symptoms, no travel history, and they haven't ruled out flu and viral respiratory diseases and those sorts of things, they may not be a candidate for COVID sample collection and testing."
Dick said that set of criteria may change in the future.
"We may be deviating from those, based on our understanding and our situation here locally,” Dick said. Washoe is currently waiting on more test kits to be delivered from the CDC.
If you're experiencing flu-like symptoms, the district recommends calling your primary care provider for guidance, and then calling the health district to get more information.
For continued updates on the coronavirus in Nevada, see our coronavirus webpage.
