If you have been tested for Covid-19, you can now receive your pathology results via text message. 

A first in the State, the development by NSW Health Pathology means you’ll get your results faster.

Instead of waiting up to a week to get the results, an automated SMS message will be sent to you within 24 hours of getting the test done at a specialist lab.

Patients who test positive for the virus will still have their results reported immediately to their referring doctor and public health unit.

A NSW Health spokesperson said “this major development is about putting the patient first by helping reduce the anxiety of waiting for results in isolation. It will also help ease pressure on busy hospital and laboratory staff”.

To receive their results via this new service, a patient must opt in through a registration and identity verification process when they are being tested for Covid-19 at a NSW public hospital.

“Data security is critical to this process and the SMS notification system will integrate with existing statewide security and other support infrastructure to ensure patient privacy and data integrity is maintained,” the spokesperson said.

Following is an image of the SMS people will receive, if they test negative for COVID-19: