Recommendations for laboratory testing
Any suspected case should be tested for infection with the COVID-19 virus using a molecular test. However, it is possible to test
only a subset of suspected cases, depending on the intensity of the transmission, the number of cases and laboratory capacity.
If resources allow, testing may be done more broadly (for instance, through sentinel surveillance) to better assess the full extent
of the circulation of the virus.
Based on clinical judgment, clinicians may opt to order a test for the COVID-19 virus in a patient who does not strictly meet the
case definition, for example, if there is acute respiratory illness among a cluster of health care workers or severe acute
respiratory infection or pneumonia in families, workplaces or social networks.
A suspected case is:
A. a patient with acute respiratory illness (that is, fever and at least one sign or symptom of respiratory disease, for example,
cough or shortness of breath) AND with no other etiology that fully explains the clinical presentation AND a history of travel to or
residence in a country, area or territory that has reported local transmission of COVID-19 disease during the 14 days prior to
symptom onset (for updated reporting, see the situation reports at
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novelcoronavirus-
2019/situation-reports/);
OR
B. a patient with any acute respiratory illness AND who has been a contact of a confirmed or probable case of COVID-19 disease
during the 14 days prior to the onset of symptoms (see the definition of contact below);
OR
C. a patient with severe acute respiratory infection (that is, fever and at least one sign or symptom of respiratory disease, for
example, cough or shortness breath) AND who requires hospitalization AND who has no other etiology that fully explains the
clinical presentation.
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