 As our communities continue to return to school, work, and regular activities, we're relying more on COVID-19 testing to help us keep risk at minimal levels. There are now three different types of COVID-19 tests readily available, including rapid antigen tests, PCR tests, and antibody tests. Rapid antigen tests are an option for people experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, such as a cough or fever. A rapid antigen test uses a swab of the nose or throat to collect a mucus sample. The sample is tested on the spot to rapidly determine the presence of specific proteins that appear in individuals who are at the peak of infection when COVID-19 presence in their body is the highest. Test results are usually available in a few minutes. However, it's important to know rapid test results can produce false negatives in people without COVID-19 symptoms. If your rapid antigen test results are positive, you most likely have an active case of COVID-19. You should stay home and follow CDC guidelines to reduce the potential spread of illness. Contact your primary care physician for treatment instructions. If your rapid antigen test results are negative, you either do not have COVID-19 or you do have COVID-19 but were tested at a time when the virus was not at its peak within your body. You should continue to practice social distancing, wearing masks and good hand hygiene. Remember, it's still possible to spread the virus even if you don't have symptoms. If symptoms worsen, contact your primary care physician as you may need to be retested with a PCR test. A PCR test uses a swab of the nose or throat to see if someone has an active COVID-19 infection. Rapid PCR tests also exist. However, there is limited availability and they are typically used by hospitals in emergent situations. PCR tests can be performed on people with or without symptoms. PCR tests are typically sent to a lab and results can take a few days. PCR tests are the most accurate tests available to determine the presence of an active COVID-19 virus in people with and without symptoms. You should get a PCR test if you have COVID-19 symptoms. You could also get a PCR test if you're recovering from COVID-19 and would like to confirm your status or if you're required to receive a COVID-19 test prior to a hospital stay. PCR tests are also the best option for people without symptoms who would like to confirm their status after traveling out of state. If your PCR test results are positive, you most likely have an active case of COVID-19. You should stay home and follow CDC guidelines to reduce the potential spread of illness. Contact your primary care physician for treatment instructions. If your PCR test results are negative, you most likely do not have an active case of COVID-19. You should still continue to practice healthy habits. If you have symptoms, contact your doctor if they get worse. If symptoms worsen, it's possible you may need to be retested. An antibody test is a blood test that can detect if you were previously infected with COVID-19. The presence of specific antibodies suggests that you may have been exposed and your body developed the blood proteins needed to fight the infection. Antibody tests are usually sent out to a lab for processing and results are available within a few days. An antibody test may be right for you if you want to know if you've had COVID-19 in the past or if your doctor has directed you to get an antibody test. Antibody testing can identify which recovering COVID-19 patients can be candidates for convalescent plasma therapy. An antibody test and a PCR test can often be performed in the same visit. If your antibody blood test results are positive, you most likely have had COVID-19 at some point in the past. You should continue to practice social distancing, wearing masks and good hand hygiene. A positive antibody test result does not mean you are 100% immune to COVID-19 and it is possible to become reinfected in the future. If your antibody test results are negative, you most likely have never had COVID-19. You could still get COVID-19 and should continue to take steps to protect yourself and others.