• You will be greeted by a Fenway Health staff member who will provide you with an extended length cotton swab. This is a self-swab process, so you will use the swab to collect a specimen from just inside both of your nasal passages.
• The staff member will review the steps of this process with you and be nearby for any questions.
• The test itself will last about 30-45 seconds.
• The test may be a little uncomfortable and may trigger a sneeze response or cause your eyes to water.
• You can bring tissues with you to the visit and we will have some on site as well.
• Some bleeding may occur after the test; this is normal. If you are taking any blood thinners, you can still get the test, you will just want to be aware of any abnormal bleeding post swab.

You should not receive a bill for COVID-19 testing but if you do you can resolve the bill by following these steps:

STEP 1: Contact your insurance company to find out if there was an issue with how they processed your claim. Explain that you received a bill for COVID 19 testing.

STEP 2: If you are not able to find a resolution through your insurance company, follow up as below:

• If you received an unexpected bill for your COVID 19 test, please call the Quest Diagnostics lab at 833. 209.8311.
• If you received an unexpected bill for your COVID 19 telehealth visit, please call the Fenway Billing department at 617.927.6050.

Testing will often be provided at no cost to you if you have symptoms or were in close contact with a COVID-positive person. Please check with your specific insurance plan about COVID-19 testing cost coverage.

If you are experiencing symptoms, please do not take public transportation or a ride share to your testing appointment.

• Results will be delivered via text message
• If your testing is negative, this means you likely were not infected with coronavirus
• This is a new test and there can be small risk of false negative results and thus, if your symptoms persist or worsen please reach out to your primary care team
• You are still at risk for getting infected with COVID 19 so we advise that you continue to take preventative measures to protect yourself to avoid exposures to coronavirus

What to Know About At-Home COVID-19 Tests:

• Free at-home COVID-19 tests are now available from US Dept. of Health and Human Services. Every home in the U.S. is eligible to order four free tests. Click here for more information and to order your tests.
• At-home tests can help you, your family, and others stay safe from COVID-19 infection.
• You can use at-home tests whether you’re vaccinated or not, whether you feel sick or not.
• At-Home COVID-19 tests are antigen tests that look for the presence of proteins associated with the SARS-CoV2 virus (COVID-19). These tests can detect COVID-19 when you are most likely to be contagious. They are not as accurate as COVID-19 PCR tests.
• Follow the instructions in the kit for performing the test.
• Results are typically available within 20 minutes or less.
• A positive at-home test result means that the test found COVID-19, and you are very likely to have an infection. See below for more information on positive results.
• A negative at-home test result means that the test did not find COVID-19, but you could still be infected. To be extra safe, repeat the test within a few days, with at least 24 hours between tests.

When and Where to Use At-Home COVID-19 Tests:

• You can use at-home tests if you feel sick, may have been around someone with COVID-19, or want peace of mind before going to a gathering.
• If you don’t feel sick the CDC recommends getting tested five days after you have been around someone with COVID-19.
• Even if you don’t feel sick and have not been around someone with COVID-19, using an at-home test before being indoors with others helps lessen the risk of spreading COVID-19. This is especially important before being with unvaccinated people, older people, people who are immunocompromised, or people at risk of severe disease.

If Your Test is Positive:

• If you test positive, you should isolate and tell your healthcare provider, as well as any close contacts.
  • A close contact is someone who was less than 6 feet away from a person with COVID-19 for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period.
• Stay home and isolate for 10 days and wear a mask if others could have contact with you.
• If you are feeling very sick, call your primary care provider. If you have trouble breathing, go to your local emergency room or call 911.
• A person with COVID-19 can begin spreading it starting 48 hours (or 2 days) before the person feels sick or tests positive.
• If you think your positive test result is wrong, get a COVID-19 test that uses the more accurate PCR method.

Instructions for QuickVue At-Home COVID-19 Tests:

• Instructions for QuickVue At-Home Tests in English (PDF)
• Instrucciones para las pruebas caseras de COVID-19 QuickVue en Español(PDF)

A nasal swab test looks for virus particles in an active COVID-19 infection whereas an antibody test looks for antibodies made by your body in response to a COVID-19 exposure or infection.

• Stay home. Do not leave your house except to get medical care. Do not go to work, school, public places, or stores. Do not use public transportation, like the bus or subway. Do not invite friends or family over unless absolutely needed.
• Seek medical care. Over the next few days, you may feel better, but there may be days you feel worse. If you or a member of your household develops fever, cough, or shortness of breath, they should call their primary care team. If you think you need a visit, please call your primary care team before going to the emergency room. They will be able to give you advice over the phone. In an emergency, always dial 911.
• Stay safe. Stay in one room of the house by yourself. Keep the window open if you can. Use a separate bathroom if you can. Wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Avoid touching your face, mouth, eyes, and nose. Cough or sneeze into a tissue.
• Keep things clean. Do not share kitchen items (dishes, cups, silverware) or towels/bedding with others. Clean any surfaces you touch like doorknobs, bathroom faucets, toilets, phones, lamps and light switches at least once a day.