I was exposed to someone with COVID-19. Should I get tested?

If you think you’ve been exposed to someone with COVID-19, you might need to quarantine, even if you’ve been vaccinated. For people who get sick with COVID-19, symptoms tend to appear 2-14 days after exposure, with most people getting sick on days 4 to 6. If you do get COVID symptoms, isolate yourself, and contact your doctor to discuss next steps, like testing and treatment. 

If you don’t have symptoms and still want (or need) to be tested, getting tested between 4 and 7 days post-exposure is the best time. If you get tested any sooner, you might not have enough virus in your body to show up on a test, leading to a false negative result. Follow the directions for the test that you use. Rapid tests might require you to take 2 tests 24 hours apart to confirm the result.

So keep yourself, your friends, and your family safe. Get vaccinated. Quarantine after you’ve been exposed, if needed. And consider getting tested even if you don’t have symptoms.

Last update: January 7, 2022, 3:30 pm ET

Science review: ERS, JAB, HAY, JAB, BSL