Do You Need a COVID-19 Test?

FAQs: COVID-19 testing & treatment

• How can I get a COVID-19 test at UCSF Health, and how does it work?

  UCSF Health is doing testing at various locations including drive-through sites, Respiratory Symptom Clinics and our emergency room. We perform these tests using a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique similar to that used in testing for COVID-19 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

  PCR allows scientists to detect very small amounts of virus in a sample obtained with a swab from a patient’s nose and throat.

  Test results can be expected typically between 24-72 hours. Test results are published in MyChart, and we will telephone you if the results are positive. You will receive a robotic call if it is negative.

• Does my insurance cover COVID-19 test?

  Updated June 17, 2020

  Governor Gavin Newsom issued a directive requiring health insurance companies to waive member cost-sharing amounts for screening and testing for the COVID-19 disease. The federal government passed the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which also offers waiving of patient co-pays, co-insurance & deductibles for COVID-19 screening and testing. This FFCRA only applies to COVID-19 screening and testing and not other services rendered.

• If a person has antibodies to the coronavirus, what does that mean? When and for how long after infection would someone produce antibodies?

  Updated May 1, 2020

  A positive test shows that you have antibodies that may have resulted from COVID-19 infection. It could also be a false positive test from a cross reaction with antibodies from a related coronavirus or other virus (there are multiple other common coronaviruses that cause mild upper respiratory infections).

  Antibodies can appear approximately one week after infection and typically peak four to six weeks after symptom begin. Most people will develop antibodies within two to three weeks after infection. Some patients, particularly those with immunocompromising conditions, may not produce a detectible antibody response. The length of time that antibodies remain in the body after infection is not well known for SARS-CoV-2. For most viruses, antibodies remain detectable for months or sometimes even years after infection.

  We currently don’t know whether antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus offer immunity against future infections and if so, for how long. Several other coronaviruses have limited or short-term immunity after an infection, but it is too early in this epidemic to understand whether or how antibodies will protect people who have had COVID-19. We will need more studies to determine if the presence of antibodies means a person won’t get re-infected. Until those studies are done, decisions about returning individuals to work or school should not be based on antibody test results.

• If I have been infected with COVID-19 and have a positive antibody test, does this mean I am no longer infectious?

  Updated May 1, 2020

  Not necessarily. Antibodies may become detectable before infectious virus is cleared by the body, so a positive antibody test does not mean you cannot spread the virus to other people.

• I’ve heard mixed information about various medications and their impact on COVID-19. What does UCSF think?

  Updated April 20, 2020

  There is much information being shared on social media and other forums, not all of which are scientifically based. Medical professional societies are reacting in real time to developments and sharing consensus recommendations. Our physicians at UCSF are meeting daily to make consensus decisions on what is best for our patients based on available data and experience of our colleagues. The best available data indicate that it is safe to continue your regular medications, including heart / blood pressure medicines such as the ACE inhibitor and ARB classes of drugs that some patients may have been prescribed.

  Currently, most patients with COVID-19 do not require treatment. For the minority of patients that become more ill, therapy is supportive. At this time, there is no specific treatment for COVID-19. Studies are underway to test antiviral medications and work is in progress to develop a vaccine. We do not currently recommend the use of hydroxychloroquine for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19 in the outpatient setting, but studies are being performed to see if this might be beneficial.

• What is remdesivir and is it effective in treating patients with COVID-19?

  Updated May 1, 2020

  Remdesivir is an investigational antiviral compound undergoing clinical trials in China, the United States, and the United Kingdom as a potential treatment for COVID-19, including at UCSF Health. It is not yet licensed or approved anywhere globally.

  Published studies to date have not demonstrated the benefit of using remdesivir for the treatment of COVID-19. However, a recent press release from the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases reported improved clinical outcomes in an interim analysis of a large randomized control trial in patients taking remdesivir compared to those taking placebo. Publication of this study through a process of peer review is pending as are several other studies using remdesivir.

  UCSF is currently leading clinical trials of remdesivir, as well as of hydroxychloroquine and the antibiotic azithromycin.

• Where can patients with recovered COVID-19 donate blood for convalescent sera treatment trials?

  Updated April 20, 2020

  Researchers are currently investigating whether convalescent sera (blood plasma from recovered patients that contains COVID-19 antibodies) may be beneficial to patients who are critically ill from COVID-19. Whether this approach is truly beneficial requires rigorous study. Recovered patients interested in donating can contact the Red Cross or Vitalant.