Due to a severe shortage of swabs and test kits, the criteria for testing has been defined by the CDC as :
Patients must have Fever or signs/symptoms of lower respiratory illness (e.g., cough or shortness of breath) AND any one of the following :
- Any person, including health care workers, who has had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed 2019-nCoV patient within 14 days of symptom onset, OR
- A history of travel from affected geographic areaswithin 14 days of symptom onset OR An individual(s) with risk factors that put them at higher risk or poor outcomes, OR
- No source of exposure has been identified and other causes of respiratory illness have been ruled out (e.g., influenza)
Note : This criteria is being updated daily. Valid as of 3/14/2020