(Updated 4/24/20): COVID-19 testing is performed by a health care provider taking swabs and submitting them to a laboratory for testing. Until recently, only the government could perform this testing. Beginning March 6, 2020, a private laboratory, LabCorp, began conducting this testing, which significantly expanded the testing capacity. At the same time, the requirement that an individual be hospitalized or in contact with a known case in order to receive testing went away. Currently, if a patient is sick, they should contact their primary care provider, who can obtain the specimen from them if they have a contract with LabCorp. If they don’t have a LabCorp contract, the doctor can still call the health department for possible testing through the state. It is not recommended at this time, though, that individuals be tested if they have no active symptoms and no contact with a known case. View the latest information on COVID-19 testing and data.