COVID Testing

Have you recently been exposed to COVID-19?

The most recent Omicron COVID symptoms can seem like the common cold. If you’re experiencing a sore throat, cough, runny nose or a headache, please stay home and seek care through MemorialCare’s 24/7 Virtual Urgent Care. If they determine you need testing, they can help arrange for convenient, drive-through testing.

If you have recently been exposed to someone with COVID-19, the CDC recommends the following actions:

• If you have already received the booster OR are not due yet but have completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine within the last six months OR received the J&J vaccine within the last two months, the CDC recommends you wear a mask around others for 10 days after your exposure and test for the virus on day five, if possible. The virus takes time to incubate in the body and testing prior to this may lead to inaccurate results.
   
• If you are unvaccinated, it’s been more than six months since you completed the primary series of Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and you are not boosted, OR it’s been more than two months since you received the J&J vaccine and you are not boosted, the CDC recommends you stay home for five days and after that, continue to wear a mask around others for an additional five days. If you cannot quarantine, you must wear a mask for 10 days. Test for the virus on day five.
   
• If your COVID virus test is positive, stay home for 5 days. If you have no symptoms or your symptoms are resolving after 5 days, you can leave your house, but continue to wear a mask around others for 5 additional days.

COVID-19 Testing at MemorialCare:

Due to limited testing resources, MemorialCare is focusing our limited testing on those patients for whom the test result will alter treatment recommendations. Generally, this means patients currently experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19. These symptoms can 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, and/or diarrhea. A positive test does not change the course of the illness, as there is no treatment for COVID-19 and it is not unusual for the test to return as negative before symptoms start despite an infection.

Both LA County and Orange County Public Health have expanding testing capacity, please see the links below for information about testing locations for patients without symptoms. If you elect to be tested without symptoms, please continue to take caution even if you receive a negative result. And remember, for the most accurate test results, if you have been exposed to the virus, it is recommended that you wait five days before being tested.