Get tested for COVID-19

When to get tested?

If you have symptoms, test immediately.

  • If you are only going to take a single test, a PCR test will provide a more reliable negative test result.
  • If you use an antigen test, a positive result is reliable, but a negative test is not always accurate.
  • If your antigen test is negative, take another antigen test after 48 hours or take a PCR test as soon as you can.

If you do not have symptoms but have been exposed to COVID-19, wait at least 5 full days after your exposure before taking a test.

  • If you are only going to take a single test, a PCR test will provide a more reliable negative test result.
  • If you use an antigen test, a positive result is reliable, but a negative test is not always accurate.
  • If your antigen test is negative, take another antigen test after 48 hours or take a PCR test as soon as you can.
  • If your second antigen test is also negative, wait another 48 hours and test a third time.

Visit Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for more information on when to seek testing.

Where can I get tested?

You can get a COVID-19 test at many places, such as:

  • Retail pharmacies
  • Health centers
  • Doctors’ offices
  • At home (testing kit)

Who is at risk for severe illness?

While older adults are at greater risk of becoming severely ill from COVID-19, people of any age, with the following conditions, can progress to severe COVID-19 as well:

  • Cancer
  • Chronic kidney disease
  • Chronic liver disease
  • Chronic lung diseases
  • Cystic fibrosis
  • Dementia or other neurological conditions
  • Diabetes (type 1 or type 2)
  • Certain disabilities*
  • Heart conditions
  • HIV infection
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system)
  • Mental health conditions
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Physical inactivity
  • Pregnancy
  • Sickle cell disease or thalassemia
  • Smoking, current or former
  • Solid organ or blood stem cell transplant
  • Stroke or cerebrovascular disease, which affects blood flow to the brain
  • Substance use disorders
  • Tuberculosis

LAGEVRIO is not recommended for use during pregnancy. LAGEVRIO may cause harm to your unborn baby. It is not known if LAGEVRIO will harm your baby if you take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy.

*People with some types of disabilities may be more likely to get very sick from COVID-19 because of underlying medical conditions, living in congregate settings, or systemic health and social inequities.

Get tested and treated early for COVID-19

If you test positive and have other medical conditions, contact your healthcare provider as soon as possible since you may be at risk for more severe illness, and see if treatment may be right for you.

HIV, human immunodeficiency virus; SARS-CoV-2, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; PCR, Polymerase chain reaction; COVID-19, coronavirus disease 2019.

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Authorized Use

  • LAGEVRIO™ (molnupiravir) is an investigational medicine used to treat adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19:
    • who are at risk for progression to severe COVID-19 including hospitalization or death, and for whom other COVID-19 treatment options approved or authorized by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate.
  • LAGEVRIO is not authorized:
    • For use in people less than 18 years of age
    • For prevention of COVID-19
    • For patients needing hospitalization for COVID-19
    • For use for longer than 5 consecutive days

Important Safety Information

  • LAGEVRIO may cause harm to your unborn baby. It is not known if LAGEVRIO will harm your baby if you take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy. LAGEVRIO is not recommended for use in pregnancy and has not been studied in pregnancy.
  • You and your healthcare provider may decide that you should take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy if there are no other COVID-19 treatment options approved or authorized by the FDA that are accessible or clinically appropriate for you. If you and your healthcare provider decide that you should take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy, you and your healthcare provider should discuss the known and potential benefits and the potential risks of taking LAGEVRIO during pregnancy.
  • Individuals who are able to become pregnant should use a reliable method of birth control (contraception) correctly and consistently during treatment with LAGEVRIO and for 4 days after the last dose of LAGEVRIO. Talk to your healthcare provider about reliable birth control methods and tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may have become pregnant during treatment with LAGEVRIO. Before starting treatment with LAGEVRIO your healthcare provider may do a pregnancy test to see if you are not pregnant.
  • There is a pregnancy registry for individuals who take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy. The purpose of this program is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. If you are pregnant or become pregnant during treatment with LAGEVRIO, you are encouraged to report your use of LAGEVRIO during pregnancy to this pregnancy registry at https://covid-pr.pregistry.com or 1-800-616-3791.
  • It is not known if LAGEVRIO can affect sperm, but the risk is regarded as low, based on animal studies. A reliable method of birth control (contraception) should be used correctly and consistently during treatment with LAGEVRIO and for at least 3 months after the last dose. The risk to sperm beyond 3 months is not known. Talk to your healthcare provider about reliable birth control methods or if you have questions or concerns about how LAGEVRIO may affect sperm.
  • Before taking LAGEVRIO, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions including if you have any allergies, serious illnesses, or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
  • Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
  • Allergic reactions can happen in people taking LAGEVRIO even after only 1 dose. Stop taking LAGEVRIO and call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of an allergic reaction: hives, rapid heartbeat, trouble swallowing or breathing, swelling of the mouth, lips, or face, throat tightness, hoarseness, or skin rash.
  • The most common side effects of LAGEVRIO are diarrhea, nausea, and dizziness. These are not all the possible side effects of LAGEVRIO. Serious and unexpected side effects may happen. This medicine is still being studied, so it is possible that all of the risks are not known at this time. Contact your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
  • Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with LAGEVRIO and for 4 days after the last dose of LAGEVRIO. If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, talk to your healthcare provider about your options and specific situation before taking LAGEVRIO.
  • Take LAGEVRIO exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. Take LAGEVRIO for 5 days. It is important that you complete the full 5 days of treatment with LAGEVRIO. Do not stop taking LAGEVRIO before you complete the full 5 days of treatment, even if you feel better.
  • Contact your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. Report side effects to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088)

Please read the accompanying Fact Sheet for Patients and Caregivers for LAGEVRIO™ (molnupiravir) and discuss it with your doctor.
The Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers also is available.

Authorized Use
Important Safety Information for LAGEVRIO (molnupiravir)

  • LAGEVRIO™ (molnupiravir) is an investigational medicine used to treat adults with mild-to-moderate COVID-19:
    • who are at risk for progression to severe COVID-19 including hospitalization or death, and for whom other COVID-19 treatment options approved or authorized by the FDA are not accessible or clinically appropriate.
  • LAGEVRIO is not authorized:
    • For use in people less than 18 years of age
    • For prevention of COVID-19
    • For patients needing hospitalization for COVID-19
    • For use for longer than 5 consecutive days

Important Safety Information for LAGEVRIO (molnupiravir)

  • LAGEVRIO may cause harm to your unborn baby. It is not known if LAGEVRIO will harm your baby if you take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy. LAGEVRIO is not recommended for use in pregnancy and has not been studied in pregnancy.
  • You and your healthcare provider may decide that you should take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy if there are no other COVID-19 treatment options approved or authorized by the FDA that are accessible or clinically appropriate for you. If you and your healthcare provider decide that you should take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy, you and your healthcare provider should discuss the known and potential benefits and the potential risks of taking LAGEVRIO during pregnancy.
  • Individuals who are able to become pregnant should use a reliable method of birth control (contraception) correctly and consistently during treatment with LAGEVRIO and for 4 days after the last dose of LAGEVRIO. Talk to your healthcare provider about reliable birth control methods and tell your healthcare provider right away if you become pregnant or think you may have become pregnant during treatment with LAGEVRIO. Before starting treatment with LAGEVRIO your healthcare provider may do a pregnancy test to see if you are not pregnant.
  • There is a pregnancy registry for individuals who take LAGEVRIO during pregnancy. The purpose of this program is to collect information about the health of you and your baby. If you are pregnant or become pregnant during treatment with LAGEVRIO, you are encouraged to report your use of LAGEVRIO during pregnancy to this pregnancy registry at https://covid-pr.pregistry.com or 1-800-616-3791.
  • It is not known if LAGEVRIO can affect sperm, but the risk is regarded as low, based on animal studies. A reliable method of birth control (contraception) should be used correctly and consistently during treatment with LAGEVRIO and for at least 3 months after the last dose. The risk to sperm beyond 3 months is not known. Talk to your healthcare provider about reliable birth control methods or if you have questions or concerns about how LAGEVRIO may affect sperm.
  • Before taking LAGEVRIO, tell your healthcare provider about all of your medical conditions including if you have any allergies, serious illnesses, or are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.
  • Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
  • Allergic reactions can happen in people taking LAGEVRIO even after only 1 dose. Stop taking LAGEVRIO and call your healthcare provider right away if you get any of the following symptoms of an allergic reaction: hives, rapid heartbeat, trouble swallowing or breathing, swelling of the mouth, lips, or face, throat tightness, hoarseness, or skin rash.
  • The most common side effects of LAGEVRIO are diarrhea, nausea, and dizziness. These are not all the possible side effects of LAGEVRIO. Serious and unexpected side effects may happen. This medicine is still being studied, so it is possible that all of the risks are not known at this time. Contact your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away.
  • Breastfeeding is not recommended during treatment with LAGEVRIO and for 4 days after the last dose of LAGEVRIO. If you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed, talk to your healthcare provider about your options and specific situation before taking LAGEVRIO.
  • Take LAGEVRIO exactly as your healthcare provider tells you to take it. Take LAGEVRIO for 5 days. It is important that you complete the full 5 days of treatment with LAGEVRIO. Do not stop taking LAGEVRIO before you complete the full 5 days of treatment, even if you feel better.
  • Contact your healthcare provider if you have any side effects that bother you or do not go away. Report side effects to FDA MedWatch at www.fda.gov/medwatch or call 1-800-FDA-1088 (1-800-332-1088)

Please read the accompanying Fact Sheet for Patients and Caregivers for LAGEVRIO™ (molnupiravir) and discuss it with your doctor.
The Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers also is available.