Information for Healthcare Providers
General Information:
- VDH Health Professionals Guidance Page
- CDC Information for Laboratories about Coronavirus (COVID-19)
- CDC COVID-19 Testing: What you Need to Know
- VDH Testing of those with symptoms
- VDH COVID-19 Testing Webpage
- VDH COVID-19 Therapeutics Webpage
- For information on whole genome sequencing, contact your local health district https://www.vdh.virginia.gov/local-health-districts/
Testing Information for Healthcare Providers
- CDC Interim Guidelines for Collecting and Handling of Clinical Specimens for COVID-19 Testing
- VDH How-To Self Collection Guide for Local Health Districts
- CDC How to Collect an Anterior Nasal Swab Specimen for COVID-19 Testing
- Educational Videos: Patient Self-Collecting Nasal Swab for COVID-19 and How to Obtain a Nasopharyngeal Swab Specimen
- CDC Guidance on Self-Testing At Home or Anywhere
- FDA At-Home OTC Test Kits & Expiration date information
- FDA: SARS-CoV-2 Viral Mutations: Impact on COVID-19 Tests
- FDA Guidance on the Diagnosis of COVID-19: Molecular Diagnostic Testing
- IDSA Guidelines on the Diagnosis of COVID-19: Molecular Diagnostic Testing
- CDC: Interim Guidance for Antigen Testing for SARS-CoV-2
- FDA: SARS-CoV-2 EUAs for Antigen Diagnostic Testing
Laboratory and testing professionals who conduct diagnostic or screening testing for SARS-CoV-2 with antigen tests must comply with Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) regulations. Any laboratory or testing site that intends to report patient-specific test results must first obtain a CLIA certificate and meet all requirements to perform that test. For more information, see the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ (CMS) summary of the CLIA regulations.
- Review the document on how to obtain a certificate of waiver
- Review the CMS quick start guide to help complete the form
- Submit form CMS-116 to: Virginia Department of Health Office of Licensure and Certification 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 401, Richmond, Virginia 23233
- Over-The-Counter (OTC) Home Testing and CLIA Applicability Frequently Asked Questions
Questions can be sent to CLIAlab@vdh.virginia.gov
Clinicians should utilize the Confidential Morbidity Portal to report suspected and confirmed COVID-19 cases as soon as they are identified or can report point-of- care test results and all other required data elements using the VDH Point-of-Care (POC) Portal if they hold a CLIA Certificate of Waiver.
- To see how commonly variants are being identified in the U.S. and where variant viruses are being identified, visit CDC’s COVID Data Tracker.
Page last updated: March 6, 2024
Opens pdf to download
Opens document to download
Opens in a new window
External link will open in new window. Click link to exit Virginia Department of Health Website.