COVID Testing Information

COVID Tests

Page last updated  December 15, 2023, at 3:00 pm. 

If you would like to get tested for COVID-19:

 

If you still have questions about COVID, testing, testing sites or vaccines, please contact Public Health Sauk County at 608-355-3290, select option #3, and leave a message. Public Health Sauk County’s COVID Response Team will make every effort to respond to your issue within 24 hours. Please note that the phone is not monitored on weekends.

 

When to get tested:

If you have COVID-19 Symptoms, you should get tested immediately.

If you were exposed to COVID-19 and do not have symptoms, wait at least 5 full days after your exposure before testing. If you test too early, you may be more likely to get an inaccurate result. 

If you have ongoing exposure, such as living in a household with someone with COVID-19, you should get tested immediately, and then test again 5-7 days after your last exposure if the first test was negative.

For information about At-Home Self-Tests, click here.

For more information about COVID-19 testing, visit https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/testing.html 

 

Types of Tests: 

There are two tests for detecting active COVID-19  infection: Molecular (PCR) Tests and Antigen (Rapid) Tests.

  • The Molecular (or PCR) Test is a nasal swab test. It is the most accurate test, but it can take a day or more to get results.
  • The Antigen (or Rapid) Test is a nasal or saliva swab. It gives results within minutes, but it’s less accurate, so people may need to follow up with a Molecular Test- especially if they have symptoms.

 

 

Click the images below to navigate to the information:

Click here to visit the Public Health Sauk County Coronavirus homepage