All laboratory testing for SARS-CoV-2 should be conducted in consultation with a healthcare provider. Regardless of when symptoms began, specimens should be collected as soon as the provider decides to test the patient.
Testing laboratories will provide acceptable specimen criteria and will have a rejection policy for unsatisfactory specimens. Always consult with the testing laboratory requirements for acceptable specimens before submitting a specimen for testing.
Although SARS-CoV-2 may be detected in several sample sources, the CDC currently recommends that respiratory specimens are the preferred specimen type for COVID-19 testing.
COVID-19 is not the same as other coronaviruses that commonly circulate among humans and cause mild illness, like the common cold. A diagnosis with more common coronavirus types 229E, NL63, OC43, or HKU1 is not the same as a COVID-19 diagnosis.
9. Gathany, James. "These patients’ samples were to be tested for SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) serologic test." CDC.gov, 2020, https://phil.cdc.gov/Details.aspx?pid=23916
