Public health officials want people to know that just because their COVID-19 test results came back negative, it doesn't mean they are in the clear.
"The misconception out there is that if you're exposed to COVID, if someone you know is positive and you're with them, that you can go a test in a few days, and if it's negative, you're good to go," said Dr. Joe Kanter with the Louisiana Department of Health. "That's not the case."
Dr. Kanter says there is no telling how long it will take for the coronavirus to replicate itself to detectable levels, so a test even a week or more after exposure might be useless. He says it's important that anyone who was exposed should quarantine for 14 days.
"The virus takes time to build up in the body...to get to the point that it's detectable by the test," said Kanter.
"Getting a test during the middle of ones 14-day quarantine period can give a false negative," he said.