What Should You Do If You Feel Sick but Keep Testing Negative for COVID?

It’s always concerning to feel unwell because symptoms like coughing or a runny nose can mean anything—seasonal allergies, the flu, or even COVID-19.

Amesh Adalja, MD, an infectious disease expert and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Verywell that it’s hard to tell respiratory infections apart without diagnostic testing because many symptoms overlap.

A negative result from a COVID-19 rapid test is usually enough to ease worries, but one test isn’t enough to rule it out. One negative result could mean that you don’t have a contagious amount of the virus at the time of testing, even if you do have COVID-19 already, Adalja said.

If you have COVID-like symptoms but test negative, it's important to take precautions.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), if you test positive for COVID or have symptoms of a respiratory viral infection:

• Isolate at home until you've been fever-free for 24 hours (without the help of medication) AND your symptoms are mild and improving.
• Take additional precautions for five days following isolation, such as wearing a well-fitting mask, keeping a distance from others, and washing your hands often.

Irfan Hafiz, MD, an infectious diseases expert at Northwestern Medicine, told Verywell that community prevalence could help determine whether your symptoms are that of a seasonal problem.

The CDC’s flu activity map, for example, can tell you if your region has had a high rate of flu cases in the last week.

If you’re still unsure whether you have COVID, you can take over-the-counter medications such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen for symptom relief, Hafiz said. In the meantime, it’s best to stay home until you've been fever-free for 24 hours without the help of medications AND if your symptoms are improving.

There is currently no preventive medication for COVID-19. However, you can help reduce the risk of severe illness by staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccines.

At times of high community prevalence of COVID-19, Hafiz said it’s best to avoid overcrowded situations and wear a mask in public.

The information in this article is current as of the date listed, which means newer information may be available when you read this. For the most recent updates on COVID-19, visit our coronavirus news page.