Q: What should I do if I need to be tested?
A: Call Ribera Healthcare at (505)-207-6526 to schedule an appointment. When you arrive be sure to stay in your car outside and call Ribera to let them know you have arrived. Bring your insurance card and ID to your appointment. If you have secondary insurance please bring the information in addition to your primary insurance. Keep your mask on and the medical assistant will be out shortly to administer your test.
Q: How long does the test take and how is it done?
A: The test is done by nasal swab and results are typically ready within 15-20 minutes.
Q: Who should be tested for a current infection?
A: People who have symptoms of COVID-19 and people who have had a known exposure to someone with suspected or confirmed COVID-19.
Q: What are symptoms of COVID-19?
A: People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to
the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
Q: When should I test?
A: Fully vaccinated people should be tested 5–7 days after their last exposure. People who are not fully vaccinated should get tested immediately when they find out they are a close contact (If their test result is negative, they should get tested again 5–7 days after their last exposure or immediately if symptoms develop).
Q: Can someone test negative and later test positive on a viral test for COVID-19?
A: Yes, it is possible. You may test negative if the sample was collected early in your infection and test positive later during this illness. You could also be exposed to COVID-19 after the test and get infected then.
Q: What is considered a close contact of someone with COVID-19?
A: For COVID-19, close contact is anyone who was within 6 feet of an infected person for a total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period (for example, three individual 5-minute exposures for a total of 15 minutes).
