Who Should Take an Antigen Test?
- People who have symptoms of COVID-19, especially within seven days of symptom onset. Please do not go to the library to obtain a test if you are symptomatic.
Visit de.gov/gettested for a list of sites near you or contact your medical provider instead.
- A close contact of someone with known or suspected COVID-19, who has no symptoms. Take the test as soon as you find out you are a close contact. If negative, do it again at 5-7 days after you last had contact with the person who has COVID-19 – or immediately if symptoms develop.
- Close contacts who do not have symptoms AND who have been fully vaccinated for COVID-19 do not need to get tested or quarantine after close contact exposure (exceptions for certain groups of fully vaccinated people to continue testing).
- People who have no symptoms and participated in higher-risk activities in which they could not physically distance as needed (e.g., travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded indoor settings).
- People who have no symptoms but are concerned and want a quick result (ie: before going to visit immunocompromised family). This screening for disease may allow for earlier detection of COVID-19 so that prompt public health intervention can be taken.
- People with no symptoms who use antigen testing frequently to detect possible asymptomatic infection.
Evaluating Your Antigen Test Results
The table below summarizes the interpretation of antigen test results. Note: this table does not apply to nursing homes, skilled nursing facilities, or other congregate living settings.
See more: Covid 19 test kit result
Test Result
Person being Tested
Symptomatic Person
Asymptomatic (no symptoms) Person with Close Contact# to a known COVID-19 case Asymptomatic (no symptoms) Person without Close Contact# to a known COVID-19 case
Positive
• Means there is a current infection • Stay home (isolate) for at least At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and 24 hours after symptoms go away (fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved. • Means there is a current infection
• Stay home (isolate) for at least At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and 24 hours after symptoms go away (means fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved.
• Presumes there is current infection
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• Immediately isolate at home
• Confirm positive result with a PCR test (visit de.gov/gettested for testing options)
• Stay home (isolate) for at least At least 10 days have passed since symptoms first appeared, and 24 hours after symptoms go away (means fever is gone without the use of fever-reducing medications and symptoms (e.g., cough, shortness of breath) have improved.
Negative
• Means no antigens were detected
• Confirm negative result with a PCR test (visit de.gov/gettested for testing options)
• Isolate while awaiting confirmatory test result
• Means no antigens were detected
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• Unvaccinated close contacts who test negative must still quarantine (stay home for 14 days)
• Get COVID-19 PCR test if you develop symptoms
• Means no antigens were detected
• No additional case follow-up necessary
• If unvaccinated, continue to wear a face mask and social distance from others
# Close contact is defined as being within six feet of someone known to have COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or longer over a 24-hour period, or having exposure to respiratory secretions from an infected person (e.g., being coughed or sneezed on, sharing a drinking glass or utensils, kissing), starting from two days before the person became sick (or two days before specimen collection if asymptomatic) until the person was isolated.
*A positive antigen test result in an asymptomatic, unexposed individual should be immediately followed by a PCR test to verify the positive result. This follow-up specimen should be collected within 24 hours of the original test, if possible, and no more than 48 hours after the antigen test. Specimens collected more than 48 hours after the initial test may lead to discordant results. If the confirmatory PCR is negative on an appropriate specimen collected in the proper time frame, and the individual has remained asymptomatic, the antigen test would be considered a false positive and the individual not counted as a COVID-19 case.
