The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently changed its guidelines on COVID-19 testing. The CDC does not recommend asymptomatic individuals who come into close contact with a confirmed case be tested for the virus. Many individuals who test positive for COVID-19 have not reported having symptoms. The State of Illinois and the Illinois Department of Public Health is encouraging all Illinoisans to get tested for COVID-19 especially if you come into close contact with someone who has the virus.
Dr. Ngozi Ezike, Illinois Director of Public Health, says now is not the time to stop testing for COVID saying, “In the face of increasing infections, we need to promote more testing, not less, to identify new cases and interrupt further transmission. Given that asymptomatic individuals have been linked to virus spread, we will maintain our more stringent guidance to support testing of any Illinois resident who thinks they may have been exposed, as well as asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed cases 5-7 days post-exposure.”
Since March, Illinois has tested more than 3.8 million COVID-19 tests. There are over 300 testing sites in Illinois including 11 state-operated and 12 mobile testing teams.
