Information

About Us

The COVID-19 Testing Center of Pittsburgh, PA is a fully licensed PA Laboratory for COVID-19 Testing. We are located at 5168 Campbells Run Rd, (Suite 102) Pittsburgh, PA 15205. You can walk in for rapid testing at our location Monday - Friday between the hours of 10am - 3pm. NO APPOINTMENT IS NECESSARY.

We are a CLIA Certified Testing Center through the PA Department of Health and the CDC. We offer two types of tests at our facility, Antigen and Antibody. We only use tests that are approved by the the CDC and PA Department of Health. We do charge a fee for testing and we accept all major forms of payment including Cash and Credit Card.

CDC Information

Considerations for who should get tested

People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
People who have had close contact (within 6 feet for a total of 15 minutes or more) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
People who have taken part in activities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 because they cannot socially distance as needed, such as travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded indoor settings.
People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, local, or state health department.

Not everyone needs to be tested. If you do get tested, you should self-quarantine/isolate at home pending test results and follow the advice of your health care provider or a public health professional.

Test for Past Infection

Antibody or serology tests look for antibodies in your blood to determine if you had a past infection with the virus that causes COVID-19.

Antibodies are proteins created by your body’s immune system soon after you have been infected or vaccinated.
Antibodies help you fight off infections and can protect you from getting that disease again. How long this protection may last is different for each disease and each person.

Antibody tests should not be used to diagnose a current infection with the virus that causes COVID-19, except in instances in which viral testing is delayed. An antibody test may not show if you have a current infection because it can take 1–3 weeks after the infection for your body to make antibodies.

Whether you test positive or negative for COVID-19 on a viral or an antibody test, you still should take steps to protect yourself and others.

We do not know how much protection (immunity) antibodies to the virus might provide against getting infected again. Confirmed and suspected cases of reinfection have been reported, but remain rare. Scientists are working to understand this.

Test for Current Infection (Viral Test)

Who should get tested

People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
People who have had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
People who have taken part in activities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 because they cannot socially distance as needed, such as travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded indoor settings.
People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, local, or state health department.

If you do get tested or take an at-home test because you have COVID-19 symptoms or have had a close contact with someone who has it, you should self-quarantine at home pending test results and follow the advice of your healthcare provider or a public health professional.

Viral tests are used to look for current infection

A viral test checks specimens from your nose or your mouth (saliva) to find out if you are currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Two types of viral tests can be used:

Nucleic acid amplification tests (NAATs) detect the virus’s genetic material and are commonly used in laboratories. NAATs are generally more accurate, but sometimes take longer to process than other test types.
Antigen tests detect viral proteins and are generally not as sensitive as NAATs, particularly if the antigen test is used on someone without COVID-19 symptoms. If you have a positive or negative antigen test, your healthcare provider may need to confirm the test result with a NAAT.

Symptoms of Coronavirus

What you need to know

Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms.
Older adults and people who have severe underlying medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness.

Watch for symptoms

People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported – ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

Fever or chills
Cough
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Headache
New loss of taste or smell
Sore throat
Congestion or runny nose
Nausea or vomiting
Diarrhea

This list does not include all possible symptoms. CDC will continue to update this list as we learn more about COVID-19.

Test for Current Infection (Viral Test)

Who should get tested

People who have symptoms of COVID-19.
People who have had close contact (within 6 feet of an infected person for a cumulative total of 15 minutes or more over a 24-hour period) with someone with confirmed COVID-19.
People who have taken part in activities that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 because they cannot socially distance as needed, such as travel, attending large social or mass gatherings, or being in crowded indoor settings.
People who have been asked or referred to get testing by their healthcare provider, local, or state health department.

When to seek emergency medical attention

Look for emergency warning signs* for COVID-19. If someone is showing any of these signs, seek emergency medical care immediately:

Trouble breathing
Persistent pain or pressure in the chest
New confusion
Inability to wake or stay awake
Bluish lips or face

*This list is not all possible symptoms. Please call your medical provider for any other symptoms that are severe or concerning to you.

Call 911 or call ahead to your local emergency facility: Notify the operator that you are seeking care for someone who has or may have COVID-19.

Caring for yourself or others

What is the difference between Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19?

Influenza (Flu) and COVID-19 are both contagious respiratory illnesses, but they are caused by different viruses. COVID-19 is caused by infection with a new coronavirus (called SARS-CoV-2), and flu is caused by infection with influenza viruses.

COVID-19 seems to spread more easily than flu and causes more serious illnesses in some people. It can also take longer before people show symptoms and people can be contagious for longer. More information about differences between flu and COVID-19 is available in the different sections below.

Because some of the symptoms of flu and COVID-19 are similar, it may be hard to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone, and testing may be needed to help confirm a diagnosis.

While more is learned every day about COVID-19 and the virus that causes it, there is still a lot that is unknown . This page compares COVID-19 and flu, given the best available information to date.