06/14/2021: Lab Advisory: CDC Launches New COVID-19 Viral Testing Tool

CDC's Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS)

Audience: Individuals Performing COVID-19 Testing

Level: Laboratory Advisory

On June 14, 2021, CDC launched the new COVID-19 Viral Testing Tool. This interactive web-based tool is designed to help both healthcare providers and individuals understand COVID-19 testing options. The tool complements the recently updated Interim Guidance for SARS-CoV-2 Antigen Testing and other CDC testing guidance.

For healthcare providers, the tool will provide clinical decision support to help determine what type of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) testing they should perform. Healthcare providers can use this tool to quickly access the most relevant, actionable CDC testing-related content and use that information to make decisions about next steps:

Whether or not to order testing and what kind of test to order
The interpretation of the test result
What to do with conflicting test results
Whether or not confirmatory (follow-up) testing is necessary
How vaccination impacts decisions for testing

For individuals who do not yet have a test result, the tool will help them determine what type of test to get. For individuals who have a test result, the tool will help them determine the appropriate next step(s), if any, based on the result.

We encourage you to share this new tool with your partners, colleagues, and friends.

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Online Resources:

If you have any questions, please contact us at LOCS@cdc.gov.

Thank you,

The Laboratory Outreach Communication System

Laboratory Outreach Communication System (LOCS) | Division of Laboratory Systems (DLS)

Center for Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Laboratory Services (CSELS)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

LOCS@cdc.gov