If you have a number of the typical symptoms of the novel coronavirus illness COVID-19, you may want to get tested.
But how do you get a test?
The City of Alexandria is supporting recently-expanded screening and testing, available through the Inova Health System and Neighborhood Health.
While there are an increasing number of tests available, not everyone will get a test just because they want one. If you want a test, you will first have to call a healthcare provider, who can make a referral or make an appointment for you to get pre-screened first. More details are below.
The criteria for getting a test is developed and outlined by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (the CDC) and the Virginia Dept. of Health.
How to Get Tested for Coronavirus in Alexandria
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Anyone with chest pain or trouble breathing should call 911.
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are
- fever of 100°F or higher
- cough
- shortness of breath.
Other symptoms can include:
- aches and pains
- nasal congestion
- runny nose
- sore throat
- diarrhea.
If you have these symptoms (or most of them), you should first call your regular physician or health center for advice.
Do NOT go to the hospital or a local testing location without first calling a health professional for advice, as you need a referral or a doctor's appointment for a test.
Generally, individuals with mild or no symptoms do not need to be screened or tested. Most people who get COVID-19 recover on their own at home and do not need testing or treatment.
My Symptoms are Severe or I'm High Risk: Now What?
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Anyone with severe symptoms should seek call their regular physician or health center for advice. If you are truly having shortness of breath or chest pain, go ahead and call 911.
People who have mild symptoms who are also over 65 years old, pregnant, have a serious medical condition, or are in another high-risk category for serious complications from COVID-19, should call their physician or health center.
All testing sites require pre-screening, and most require appointments (including all sites that offer vehicle-side service).
You should not just go to the hospital or go to a testing site without a referral or pre-screening.
The doctor you call for advice will make an appointment for you to get screened in person or online. To protect others, do not visit a doctor without calling ahead.
If the doctor's screening screening results in the need for a test, the health professional will refer you to a testing center.
Or, if they are able, they may do a test in their own office.
No Doctor? No Insurance? Here's What To Do
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If you do not have a regular doctor, here is a list of resources for patients without a primary care physician or without health insurance (also available in Spanish, Amharic and Arabic).
The Alexandria Health Dept. does not provide testing itself.
Inova Health System has established four Respiratory Illness Clinics to provide screening and testing for COVID-19 for patients who meet testing criteria. The Alexandria clinic is located in Old Town and offers screening and testing inside the clinic for new or existing Inova patients.
You must make an appointment by calling 703-683-7220. Walk-ins are not accepted.
Neighborhood Health, a nonprofit community health center serving approximately 8,500 low-income Alexandria residents, is conducting COVID-19 screening and testing for its patients. Patients who need evaluation should call 703-535-5568 for a phone or video appointment with a provider. The provider will order a test if indicated and schedule it to be conducted at an outdoor testing location in Alexandria or Fairfax County. Neighborhood Health has recently set up testing sites in the Arlandria and West End areas of Alexandria.
All Neighborhood Health sites require appointments; walk-ins are not accepted.
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Alexandria Dept. of Health
