Priority populations for COVID-19 testing include people who are hospitalized and have symptoms, people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and are living in, or providing care to residents in institutional settings (e.g., nursing homes, assisted living centers), and symptomatic healthcare workers.

The SD Public Health Laboratory is testing the following priority populations – symptomatic healthcare workers, hospitalized individuals, and individuals in communal living (i.e. long-term care and assisted living facilities, etc.). Healthcare providers can send tests to commercial testing facilities if the patient does not meet the criteria of the SD Public Health Laboratory. Any healthcare provider can order a test for their patients at the provider's discretion. However, the Department of Health recommends good stewardship practices for the use of specimen collection supplies and tests.

If you have been tested for COVID-19 but have not yet received your results, contact your healthcare provider. Tests performed by the SD Public Health Laboratory have a one-day turnaround time. This timing is dependent on availability of testing supplies. The SD Public Health Laboratory reports the results back to the submitting laboratory. The submitting laboratory notifies the healthcare provider who will notify the patient of their results. Tests performed by commercial testing facilities can take up to 7 days for results.

80% of people who get COVID-19 will have mild to moderate symptoms and recover without medical care. If you are not in one of the priority populations and think you have COVID-19, the best thing you can do is stay home for 7 days after your illness started AND your fever is gone AND your symptoms have improved for 72 hours. A positive test for COVID-19 will not change your healthcare provider's recommendation for medical care unless you are very sick and require hospitalization.

All individuals have the right to privacy as is it relates to their health. That is why results are reported on a county level, not community level, and why we do not share individual information such as name and address. The precautions an individual should take to protect themselves from COVID-19 are the same as they would be whether there is a case in their community or not – practice good hand hygiene and social distancing.

A person is considered recovered when they have had no fever for at least 72 hours (that is three full days of no fever without the use medicine that reduces fevers), AND there has been improvement of respiratory symptoms (for example, when your cough or shortness of breath have improved), AND at least 7 days have passed since symptoms first appeared.