Question re: Abbott Binaxnow testing?

[julia]

I've tried calling HAL several times, but the wait times went on and on, so perhaps someone here can help? The Abbott Binaxnow is an at-home RX, medically supervised test that is accepted by HAL. The app associated with the test however, (Navica) does not get great reviews for reliability.  We will use it if necessary, but....

 

Q.  Tests are purchased.  Can we take them at our doctor's office (within 48 hours)  and have him certify the results?  I would think this would qualify as "medically supervised?"  Thanks for any help...

[RGEDad]

You use the App to set up the account - You can take the test with you desktop. iPad, or Cell - just about anything with a Camera, email, browser  & internet access - You do not need the app to run the test. 

You get the results via email, and it is available on the App. 

If in doubt - give a test run today before going through the trouble to set up an appointment with the doctor (who would probably send you to a testing site anyway).

 

 

[julia]

Thx for the reply...  I'm familiarizing myself with the testing procedure and it seems pretty straightforward.  Was just wondering if my doctor can do the same....

[oakridger]

If your doctor (or CVS or Walgreens, etc.) can give you the antigen test, then I don't see why you would need the BinaxNow test.  One or the other?

 

Good luck!

~Nancy

[julia]

44 minutes ago, oakridger said:

If your doctor (or CVS or Walgreens, etc.) can give you the antigen test, then I don't see why you would need the BinaxNow test.  One or the other?

 

Good luck!

~Nancy

Nancy:  most places (namely Walgreens) are not testing without symptoms. With the change to 48 hours, many labs will not guarantee that timeframe. The Binaxnow is a good product, and if my doctor can supervise it, that would be my choice.  Thx.....

[Loreto]

On 9/8/2021 at 1:44 PM, RGEDad said:

You use the App to set up the account - You can take the test with you desktop. iPad, or Cell - just about anything with a Camera, email, browser  & internet access - You do not need the app to run the test. 

You get the results via email, and it is available on the App. 

If in doubt - give a test run today before going through the trouble to set up an appointment with the doctor (who would probably send you to a testing site anyway).

 

 

DH and I took the BinaxNow  ag card home test this morning prior to our European River cruise (even though it wasn't required)  The test was easy to to with our laptop computer and the Navica app.  We got our result on our email in 15 minutes.  We tested negative and I would recommend the test for future cruises if needed.

Karen

[BaltimoreCruise]

I plan to purchase the BinaxNow tests for our December cruise.  If purchased recently what expiration dates do your tests have?  
 

Thank you.

BC

[Turtles06]

2 hours ago, BaltimoreCruise said:

I plan to purchase the BinaxNow tests for our December cruise.  If purchased recently what expiration dates do your tests have?  
 

Thank you.

BC

 

On Sunday, Sept. 12, we ordered the 6-pack of Abbott BinaxNow Covid-19 proctored home test kits directly from eMed, the folks who proctor the tests.  (They can also be ordered from Optum.)  The original expiration date on the box is Oct. 3, 2021, but I looked up the lot number on line and found an Abbott letter (linked below) showing that the expiration date is actually Jan. 3, 2022, given the extension they got from the FDA.   

 

https://coronavirus.ohio.gov/static/binax-now/COVID-19-Ag-Card-Product-Expiry-Update.pdf

 

Before we purchased the kits, we noticed that eMed says (in their Refund policy) that the kits they are shipping now have an expiration date as early as December 2021.  I called eMed's customer service to ask exactly what this meant (Dec. 1? Another specific date in December?  All of December?)  I was told that the kits would be good through at least December 2021.  And that's what we got.

 

Hope this is helpful. 

[Loreto]

The tests I received early in Sept. had an Oct. expiration date.  I called eMed and the agent emailed me the pdf letter stating that there was a 3 month extension which made it good until Jan 5th for mine.  The Nov. cruise I ordered them for was cancelled and our next HAL cruise is in Feb.  Maybe they will get another extension.  I was annoyed that they would sell a product that was about to expire!  I am taking 2 in my carryon when we fly to Europe Sunday, even though the River Cruise company(Avalon) is providing the tests before we disembark in Amsterdam and fly back to the US. 

 

For the convenience, buying the tests from eMed was the right choice, as no one does a rapid test in my community.

Karen

[12cruise2]

3 hours ago, BaltimoreCruise said:

I plan to purchase the BinaxNow tests for our December cruise.  If purchased recently what expiration dates do your tests have?  
 

Thank you.

BC

A few weeks ago, we did lots of threads on this subject.  Apparently tests out there now were manufactured in February of this year and will expire Feb. 2022.  One user called the manufacturer who said they would begin making another batch of tests in January 2022.  They didn't seem to have "rolling" manufacture dates. . . this is as of a few weeks ago.

I would use the test as manufactured, not count on having your doc watch you and certify the result; this is not how they were intended.  Use CVS if you have one nearby.  You can make the appointment 14 days in advance.  Just this morning on the Nieuw Amsterdam, with the help of Guest Relations /supervisor computer access, because passenger internet blocks CVS testing because it thinks we are in Peru because that's where the satellite HA uses is and CVS won't test "internationals", I made an appt. at CVS for Thurs. 9/30 because we are going home tomorrow from Seattle and returning 10/1 to board 10/2 for the Panama Canal trip.  CVS' first question is are you taking to the test to prevent possibly exposing others to covid during travel, etc., that idea.  I answered yes to that and no to the other 6-7 questions and my DH and I had no problem testing and not being charged, far as I know, at CVS.  We do have health insurance.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Here is a good video that shows the entire process...

 

 

 

 

Edited September 17, 2021 by The-Inside-Cabin

[echoshipmate]

I read the information regarding expiration dates for the tests with 195-000, butt my boxes state 195-100. Anyone have any idea the expiration dates for this batch? I did see the letter from Abbott regarding the extended times but my batch was not listed. BTW, we ordered and was delivered last week, 9/10 or 11. Thanks if you can help.

Doug

[Turtles06]

28 minutes ago, echoshipmate said:

I read the information regarding expiration dates for the tests with 195-000, butt my boxes state 195-100. Anyone have any idea the expiration dates for this batch? I did see the letter from Abbott regarding the extended times but my batch was not listed. BTW, we ordered and was delivered last week, 9/10 or 11. Thanks if you can help.

Doug

 

Doug, the 195-100 is Abbott's part number, not the lot number.  Look at the white label on your box that has the QR code on it: at the top it will say "REF  195-100."  Below that is an hour glass icon with the original expiration date, and below that is the line that says "LOT" with the lot number after it.  That's the number you should look for on those Abbott extension letters.

 

Hope that helps!

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, Loreto said:

I was annoyed that they would sell a product that was about to expire! 

 

It is indeed annoying.  But there's a reason for it:  the market for test kits really crashed last spring after vaccines became widely available and the number of Covid-19 cases began to drop.    According to the New York Times, Abbott "took [steps] to eliminate stock and wind down manufacturing."   

 

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/08/20/us/abbott-covid-tests.html

 

Abbott disputed the Times's claim that it had destroyed finished products, but there does not seem to be any dispute that they needed to ramp back up once the delta variant took hold in the U.S. and cases began to surge again.

 

https://www.abbott.com/corpnewsroom/diagnostics-testing/abbotts-response-to-the-new-york-times-article.html

 

For those of us looking for proctored home test kits as an option, thank goodness the FDA gave Abbott an extension on the expiration dates.  But I agree, it would be great if the kits being shipped now had later expiration dates. 

[roxybear135]

For those of you who have done the test, can you please tell me if the hours during which you can get the test done are limited or is it 24/7?  Also, do you need an appointment?  We have a cruise booked for 12/26 and I think the only way we will be able to do testing is with the at home test given all the closures for the holidays, and I can't find anywhere online about the hours that someone is available to monitor you to do the test.  Thanks!

[twodjs]

No appointment required. You download their app, create an account and log on to start the test. Just took a couple of minutes for them to come online. We took ours about 3 pm yesterday. I don't know if they are available 24/7. The test was very easy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Turtles06]

33 minutes ago, roxybear135 said:

For those of you who have done the test, can you please tell me if the hours during which you can get the test done are limited or is it 24/7?

I have read on other threads that it’s 24/7. You can call eMed to confirm this:

 

+1866-955-1173

https://www.emed.com/contact-us

 

 

 

[echoshipmate]

3 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

 

Doug, the 195-100 is Abbott's part number, not the lot number.  Look at the white label on your box that has the QR code on it: at the top it will say "REF  195-100."  Below that is an hour glass icon with the original expiration date, and below that is the line that says "LOT" with the lot number after it.  That's the number you should look for on those Abbott extension letters.

 

Hope that helps!

Yes thank you very much, unfortunately, my batch number is not listed, but if I read you correctly, my original manufacture  date is 2021-02-08 and the bottom expiry date on the box is 2021-10-05, 8 months later, so the new 12 month expiry date would be 12 months from the 2021-02-08, or basically 2022-02-08. Whew, I think I got it, I think!

Doug

[BaltimoreCruise]

I appreciate the update on the Abbott tests.

BC

[Homosassa]

15 hours ago, echoshipmate said:

Yes thank you very much, unfortunately, my batch number is not listed, but if I read you correctly, my original manufacture  date is 2021-02-08 and the bottom expiry date on the box is 2021-10-05, 8 months later, so the new 12 month expiry date would be 12 months from the 2021-02-08, or basically 2022-02-08. Whew, I think I got it, I think!

Doug

No.

 

The three month extension is for the sterilization expiry date.

 

Your new expiry date is January 5, 2022. 

[RGEDad]

Just FYI: We were just on the Nieuw Amsterdam Alaskan cruise. DW was not feeling well, and we had taken several previously purchased Abbott Home tests with us (Just in Case). Decided to do the Abbott COVID test both to see if there was an issue, and to get some practice in how to actually do the test/process with that test kit. We did have premium HAL WIFI Internet service. 

Set up Wife's account, made the WiFi connection to eMed, did the testing, waited the 15 minutes, and got a (negative) results, and results were emailed to her, and in her NAVAID account. Works just like it should, and could even do it on-board the ship. 

For our future December cruise we will probably still do the CVS Rapid test, and keep this Abbott test as back-up - I really like having back-up plans for things that really, really must be done. 

But i will check those lot numbers as mentioned above just to make sure the tests will be viable for our January planned cruise. Thanks for that Info.

 

[Turtles06]

1 hour ago, RGEDad said:

Set up Wife's account, made the WiFi connection to eMed, did the testing, waited the 15 minutes, and got a (negative) results, and results were emailed to her, and in her NAVAID account. Works just like it should, and could even do it on-board the ship. 

Thanks for sharing your experience using the the test kits. I’m glad it worked well on board, and very glad your wife tested negative!  
 

Just a quick clarification for others reading this — you need an account with NAVICA, not “NAVAID.” 😊

 

Stay well!

[sambamama]

Just be very aware that if you order 6, that the ones you get will expire in January or February. THIS INFORMATION IS NOT DISPLAYED ANYWHERE EASILY ACCESSIBLE! I researched on the site and found out the kits were good for a year, so I bought six since I have several trips. After waiting 45 minutes on the phone, (mine all expire in early February), the rep was insistent they can't be returned and they won't give me any that expire later. 

[AV8rix]

5 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Just a quick clarification for others reading this — you need an account with NAVICA, not “NAVAID.” 😊

 

 

Yes, as a pilot I thought that was a hoot 😄.

[RGEDad]

4 hours ago, Av8rix said:

10 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

Just a quick clarification for others reading this — you need an account with NAVICA, not “NAVAID.” 😊

 

 

Yes, as a pilot I thought that was a hoot

Guess my pilot training overwrote my COVID Testing research...When I wrote it I remember thinking something was not quite right - but could not identify it...Like a lot of things  - as the years roll on by.

Thank you for correcting that - 

Edited September 19, 2021 by RGEDad
Added the Thanks