Question re: Abbott Binaxnow testing?

[SFO Peter]

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Edited September 30, 2021 by SFO PETER

[aliaschief]

Very easy. Took 20 minutes. Of which 15 minutes was waiting for the test after the swab. Proctor comes back on, showed the test, they confirmed. A few minutes later received E-mail showing negative results and also the results are on the App.

 

They walk you through the test but it is helpful if you Google and watch a BiNax video prior too. Do not open the small carton package until they tell you to.

[SFO Peter]

watch Smart Phone BinaxNow Test (it is easy) from fellow Hoffman CCers  in my signature.

Peter

Edited September 30, 2021 by SFO PETER

[Aquahound]

1 minute ago, aliaschief said:

Very easy. Took 20 minutes. Of which 15 minutes was waiting for the test after the swab. Proctor comes back on, showed the test, they confirmed. A few minutes later received E-mail showing negative results and also the results are on the App.

 

They walk you through the test but it is helpful if you Google and watch a BiNax video prior too. Do not open the small carton package until they tell you to.

 

Agreed.  DW and I did ours yesterday and it was very easy.  The only difficulty was the language barrier. I went first and my proctor's accent was very heavy.  DW's proctor was easier to understand....plus we knew the routine at that point.  

 

For those who haven't done it yet, I recommend setting up your device at a distance where it sees both you and the table in front of you.  You have to lay the test card flat when inserting the swab, and they need to be able to see it.  

[aliaschief]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

Agreed.  DW and I did ours yesterday and it was very easy.  The only difficulty was the language barrier. I went first and my proctor's accent was very heavy.  DW's proctor was easier to understand....plus we knew the routine at that point.  

 

For those who haven't done it yet, I recommend setting up your device at a distance where it sees both you and the table in front of you.  You have to lay the test card flat when inserting the swab, and they need to be able to see it.  

Same here. I had to ask  the Proctor to repeat themselves a couple of times.

[echoshipmate]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

Agreed.  DW and I did ours yesterday and it was very easy.  The only difficulty was the language barrier. I went first and my proctor's accent was very heavy.  DW's proctor was easier to understand....plus we knew the routine at that point.  

 

For those who haven't done it yet, I recommend setting up your device at a distance where it sees both you and the table in front of you.  You have to lay the test card flat when inserting the swab, and they need to be able to see it.  

@Aquahound, just to be sure, if you are sailing on he NA through the Panama canal departing Sat. Oct 2, and you took your test on Wednesday,  it will not qualify. It must be with in 2 days, Thursday or Friday. Please check this out as you do not want to be denied boarding on Saturday. If you are sailing on a different cruise, please excuse my interruption.

Doug

[Aquahound]

33 minutes ago, echoshipmate said:

@Aquahound, just to be sure, if you are sailing on he NA through the Panama canal departing Sat. Oct 2, and you took your test on Wednesday,  it will not qualify. It must be with in 2 days, Thursday or Friday. Please check this out as you do not want to be denied boarding on Saturday. If you are sailing on a different cruise, please excuse my interruption.

Doug

 

I appreciate you checking up but no, I am not on that sailing.  I embark tomorrow on Ovation of the Seas out of Seattle.  

[echoshipmate]

9 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

I appreciate you checking up but no, I am not on that sailing.  I embark tomorrow on Ovation of the Seas out of Seattle.  

Good, I was thinking I was on our roll call thread, have a great cruise!

Doug

[Crusin-Suzan]

On 9/17/2021 at 3:57 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

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. 

What cruise are you on?   We are on the Rotterdam 10/20!

[Naismith]

On 9/17/2021 at 7:23 PM, twodjs said:

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.

I think they must be 24/7 because they are used by USAmericans all over the world who are preparing for a trip home.  We used it recently before a flight home from North Macedonia.

[PigsCanFly]

On 9/17/2021 at 7:12 PM, 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?  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!

We bought a 6 pack from emed and used the first three on Sept 24th for our Royal cruise on the 26th.  We 3 each had a wait of less than 1 minute and had results in less than 30 minutes.  The results appeared in our email and our navica apps.  We plan to use the other three for our Nov 6th cruise.  

Our local non-chain pharmacy sells 2 packs of this test for $26.  They have a 2022 expiry date, so they are a newer batch.  We plan on buying them locally for our December cruises.

[zelker]

On 10/10/2021 at 4:17 PM, PigsCanFly said:

Our local non-chain pharmacy sells 2 packs of this test for $26.  They have a 2022 expiry date, so they are a newer batch.  We plan on buying them locally for our December cruises.

That price seems quite low.  Are you sure they are the ones that say Rx on them and are the proctored version?

[julia]

⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️⬆️

 I agree with Zelker...  please be certain they are the RX tests and NOT the OTC's.

[RGEDad]

On 10/10/2021 at 5:17 PM, PigsCanFly said:

Our local non-chain pharmacy sells 2 packs of this test for $26.  They have a 2022 expiry date, so they are a newer batch.  We plan on buying them locally for our December cruises.

No, No No

The Local tests that you buy in the store are NOT proctored and are NOT accepted by cruise or air travel.

The "accepted tests are the Abbott BINAX HOME Test (Not the Abbott BINAX SELF Test). The Home Test also have a clear warning to NOT open the package until instructed to do so.

Only the tests purchased from eMed (currently sold out) , or Optum (2 & 3 pack) are Proctored and accepted.

You can certainly use the locally purchased Self test to validate you own condition, but there is no medically certified report provided (unless things have changed in the last several months).

****

By the way: eMed is currently out-of-stock - Just looked at their web site this morning

https://www.emed.com/waitlist?hsLang=en

 

"While we replenish our inventory, eMed verified tests are available in packs of two or three from our partner, The Optum Store.

We invite you to join the waitlist for the eMed six-pack configuration and we will contact you as soon as tests become available."

 

 

Edited October 12, 2021 by RGEDad
Added how to tell the difference

[PigsCanFly]

49 minutes ago, RGEDad said:

No, No No

The Local tests that you buy in the store are NOT proctored and are NOT accepted by cruise or air travel.

The "accepted tests are the Abbott BINAX HOME Test (Not the Abbott BINAX SELF Test). The Home Test also have a clear warning to NOT open the package until instructed to do so.

Only the tests purchased from eMed (currently sold out) , or Optum (2 & 3 pack) are Proctored and accepted.

You can certainly use the locally purchased Self test to validate you own condition, but there is no medically certified report provided (unless things have changed in the last several months).

****

By the way: eMed is currently out-of-stock - Just looked at their web site this morning

https://www.emed.com/waitlist?hsLang=en

 

"While we replenish our inventory, eMed verified tests are available in packs of two or three from our partner, The Optum Store.

We invite you to join the waitlist for the eMed six-pack configuration and we will contact you as soon as tests become available."

 

 

Thanks!  I did wonder about the 2-pk since when we did the proctored ones last month they were adamant that the sealed box was unopened.  You saved me some serious stress by pointing out that the local ones are NOT proctored.  It would have made for a very hectic week between our November and December cruises trying to find the tests.  I hope that emed gets some stock soon.

[NCTribeFan]

I've scheduled a rapid test at a local pharmacy for the morning I fly to FLL for a cruise the next day.  It's not a chain; couldn't find a CVS or Walgreens within 25 miles that offered them.  It's a local pharmacy within an ACE Hardware store about 2 miles from my house.

 

I'm going to also order a 3-pack from Optum since I sail again 3 weeks after my November cruise returns.  That way I'll have a test I can use IF the pharmacy test comes back positive.  I want to have another test to do just in case that's a false positive.  I'll then use one when I return home so I can go visit my grandbaby.  That will leave one to have handy to again use if I need it prior to the December sailing.

 

Appreciate all the helpful info in this thread.  Thanks everyone!

[Crusin-Suzan]

On 9/23/2021 at 10:24 PM, Turtles06 said:

 

From everything I have read, it's recommended that folks have a minimum of two test kits per person, in the event of an inconclusive result, user error, etc.  You can buy the test kits directly from Optum (see link below), in a 2-pack or  3-pack, or from eMed.com (see link), the folks who proctor the tests; they sell a 6-pack:

 

https://store.optum.com/shop/products/abbott-binaxNOW-COVID-19-ag-at-home-test-kit-2-pack

 

https://www.emed.com/products/covid-at-home-testkit-six-pack?hsLang=en

 

More than one person can use the test kits in a multi-pack, but each person has to create her/his own account on the NAVICA app. 

 

I hope that's helpful.

HI Judith!   It’s Sue!   Downloaded. The app as we bought these kits also!

Guy and I are on Rotterdam TA next week!   Miss cruising so much!   Hope all is well with both of you!

[Turtles06]

2 minutes ago, Crusin-Suzan said:

HI Judith!   It’s Sue!   Downloaded. The app as we bought these kits also!

Guy and I are on Rotterdam TA next week!   Miss cruising so much!   Hope all is well with both of you!

Hi Sue!  A TA — how wonderful!!  We miss cruising so much that this weekend we booked a Bermuda cruise on the Breakaway leaving in two weeks. We’ve never booked a cruise after final payment before, let alone a mere two weeks out! 😮 

 

I hope you are both well too, and that you have a safe and fabulous trip! 

[Turtles06]

3 hours ago, NCTribeFan said:

I've scheduled a rapid test at a local pharmacy for the morning I fly to FLL for a cruise the next day.  It's not a chain; couldn't find a CVS or Walgreens within 25 miles that offered them.  It's a local pharmacy within an ACE Hardware store about 2 miles from my house.

 

I'm going to also order a 3-pack from Optum since I sail again 3 weeks after my November cruise returns.  That way I'll have a test I can use IF the pharmacy test comes back positive.  I want to have another test to do just in case that's a false positive. 

If the first rapid test is positive and your second is negative, how would you know which is false?   Also, prior to embarkation, you may well need to complete a health questionnaire asking if you’ve tested positive in the past 14 days. 

[NCTribeFan]

Well, if I self-isolate for 10 or more days before I'm tested (as I plan on doing), I'd be pretty sure that a positive was a false positive.

 

No idea what I'd do about the health questionnaire!

[RGEDad]

8 hours ago, Turtles06 said:

If the first rapid test is positive and your second is negative, how would you know which is false?

I have been reading about False Positives rates, I have never read about False Negatives. 

 

FYI:  The Ellume Co. tests have just had some tests recalled because of higher than predicted false Positives. I think traced back to bad reagent (Fluid) batch. These were NOT the Abbott BINAX tests. 

[TiogaCruiser]

So does anyone know whether the Home test and the Self test are actually the same, with the same standards met ( just different packaging?)

[Turtles06]

9 hours ago, RGEDad said:

I have been reading about False Positives rates, I have never read about False Negatives. 

 

 

 

I suggest you do a little more reading.  Rapid antigen tests are more likely to have a false negative result than a false positive.   

 

https://www.healthline.com/health/how-accurate-are-rapid-covid-tests#how-accurate-is-it

[HappyCamper49]

On 9/17/2021 at 1:35 PM, 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

Went on Binax website and it showed Out of Stock.  Someone on another cruise line thread said they were out of stock til 2022.  Hope they were mistaken.

[Seasick Sailor]

7 hours ago, TiogaCruiser said:

So does anyone know whether the Home test and the Self test are actually the same, with the same standards met ( just different packaging?)

 

Tioga, they are not the same. The self test does not require a proctor and is used mainly to give you peace of mind if you feel you've been exposed to covid.

 

The home test does require a proctor and it's acceptable for HAL cruisers. You get an email with your results. Everything is included in the cost.