Indiana State Department of Health updates testing guidelines

The testing guidelines for COVID-19 continue to change. 

The guidelines exist because testing swabs and viral transport medium remain in short supply across the country.

The Indiana State Department of Health will continue to focus on testing our highest-risk patients to provide a fast turnaround time. Most people with mild symptoms do not need to be tested and should follow the self-isolation guidelines established by CDC. 

ISDH supplies all the needed collection materials to providers and will not accept a specimen that has not been approved prior to collection.

The latest guidelines are as follows:

 Patient requiring hospitalization with fever and lower respiratory symptoms, constituting: Admission to the hospital due to complications of their acute respiratory illness.

Healthcare workers (impatient, outpatient, nursing home, and other long-term service facilities) and EMS staff who provide direct patient care to at risk patients: Symptomatic with fever and lower respiratory symptoms and in their role has potential or unknown exposure to at risk patients.

 Long-term care facility residents or prison/jail residents and staff (who have direct contact with patients or inmates): Symptomatic with fever and respiratory illness or otherwise no known COVID-19 contact.

 Persons experiencing homelessness: Symptomatic with fever and respiratory illness and otherwise no known COVID-19 contact.