IMPORTANT UPDATES

parent and child in covid drive thru test

There are many COVID-19 testing sites throughout Atlanta offering testing to children. Your pediatrician may also have access to testing.

Reminder:

If your child has no symptoms or mild symptoms such as diarrhea, a low-grade fever, fatigue, cough, congestion, or a sore throat, please visit a community testing site rather than a Children’s Emergency Department or Urgent Care Center for COVID-19 testing as most children with mild symptoms can be managed at home

Children’s Locations 

NOTE: Some locations have age restrictions for testing and require appointments. Visit the testing vendor websites for updated information for each site. Locations may be affected by holiday hours.   

COVID-19 Test Research Location

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology are partnering with the National Institutes of Health’s Rapid Acceleration of Diagnostics (RADx) program to evaluate and help bring more COVID-19 tests to market. We are looking for test samples and feedback from children and adults with COVID-19 symptoms. Appointments are required. All children under the age of 18 require guardian consent to participate.

Participants must be experiencing COVID-19 symptoms. Please make an appointment if you or your child are experiencing:

  • 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

Participants will receive a gift card, a no-cost polymerase chain reaction (PCR) COVID-19 test and will be helping us in the fight against COVID-19.

Children’s COVID-19 test samples will be collected by a Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta nurse, and adult samples will be collected by an experienced research coordinator or nurse from Emory University. You may also receive a test kit with instructions on how to perform a test on yourself or your child.


Register Now


Does your child need a COVID-19 test?

If your child has no or mild symptoms, or just needs a test, go to a community testing site.

Testing Sites

Where should my child go for required COVID-19 testing for school, day care or sports?

If your child’s day care, school or sports team requires COVID-19 testing, you can have your child tested outside of Children’s at one of the following COVID-19 testing locations.

If my child receives a positive COVID-19 diagnosis, should we go to the doctor?

If your child tests positive, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website for the most up-to-date isolation guidelines and for more information.

We do recommend you call your provider and let her know that your child tested positive.

Most children with COVID-19 infections have mild symptoms and do not require medical care. For the safety of your child—and so we can continue to focus on treating children who need care most—consider managing your child’s symptoms at home. Supportive care at home includes keeping your child hydrated, using fever-reducing medicine (children’s ibuprofen or acetaminophen) and encouraging bed rest.

Covid 19 and your child

This content is general information and is not specific medical advice. In case of an urgent concern or emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away.

What are the different types of COVID-19 testing?

Not all COVID-19 tests are created equal. There are multiple kinds of diagnostic or viral tests, which check nasal mucous or saliva—most often by a swab of the inside of the nose—that can tell if you have SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in your nose.

The two most common COVID-19 diagnostic tests are:

  • Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test: This is a molecular test that looks at genetic material and is often referred to as the gold standard of COVID-19 tests. It is the most accurate test out there, but it can take a while to get the results back, as they are often sent to a laboratory to analyze and process.
  • Antigen test: Also called a rapid test, this test is less reliable and typically gives results in less than an hour.

Another kind of testing may help you determine whether you’ve previously contracted COVID-19:

  • Antibody/serologic tests: These tests check your blood by looking for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, which can be present after an infection.

What are antibodies?

Antibodies are proteins that help fight off infections and usually provide protection against getting that disease again (immunity).

This content is general information and is not specific medical advice. Always consult with a doctor or healthcare provider if you have any questions or concerns about the health of a child. In case of an urgent concern or emergency, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency department right away. Some physicians and affiliated healthcare professionals on the Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta team are independent providers and are not our employees.