Summary
- For testing through DOH, consultation with DOH at 1-877-PA-HEALTH (1-877-724-3258) or your local health department is required.
- Call DOH for consultation for the following patients: symptomatic contacts of a confirmed case, symptomatic residents of a congregate care setting, symptomatic healthcare workers, and hospitalized patients with relevant symptoms and no alternative diagnosis
- For patients that do not meet the above criteria, consultation with DOH is not required and can be tested through a commercial laboratory.
- Patients should not be sent to a state health center for sample collection without explicit prior approval and coordination with DOH.
- For outpatients being tested at DOH, ONLY nasopharyngeal (NP) swabs should be collected for testing. For specimens being submitted to commercial laboratories, follow the commercial laboratory instructions.
- COVID-19 is a reportable condition in Pennsylvania and must be reported to DOH.
Click here to view the full health alert.
Resources:
COVID-19 Specimen Collection Guidance
Originally released by the Pennsylvania Department of Health on March 14, 2020.
