Proctored Covid Tests

[skybluewaters]

The at-home Covid antigen tests that have been given out by the US government have expiration dates printed on the box.  Those dates have since been extended by the FDA and are available on the FDA website. 

 

My test box has a July expiration date, and the FDA website says that the date has been extended to October.   If I do a telehealth monitored test in September, will it be disqualified?  I do believe that they ask what the expiration date is when you do the telehealth testing. 

 

Thanks!

[njhorseman]

3 minutes ago, skybluewaters said:

The at-home Covid antigen tests that have been given out by the US government have expiration dates printed on the box.  Those dates have since been extended by the FDA and are available on the FDA website. 

 

My test box has a July expiration date, and the FDA website says that the date has been extended to October.   If I do a telehealth monitored test in September, will it be disqualified?  I do believe that they ask what the expiration date is when you do the telehealth testing. 

 

Thanks!

 Use the extended date as found on the FDA website. That's now the official expiration date of the test, not what was originally printed on the box.

[Flatbush Flyer]

53 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 Use the extended date as found on the FDA website. That's now the official expiration date of the test, not what was originally printed on the box.

I’d take that a step further and print the FDA “date change ok” page to hold up to the telehealth camera if proof is needed.

[Dancing Shoes]

Is everyone going to one specific company to use the government test kits?  I want to use ours.

[njhorseman]

20 minutes ago, Dancing Shoes said:

Is everyone going to one specific company to use the government test kits?  I want to use ours.

In and of themselves the free tests distributed by the government can't be used for travel because they're unsupervised home tests. One or two brands among the variety of tests distributed by the government offer you the ability to purchase a telehealth proctoring service that will convert the testing process into a session with document results that will qualify the test for travel purposes. You have to check if the specific tests you have offer this service.

[Flatbush Flyer]

13 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

In and of themselves the free tests distributed by the government can't be used for travel because they're unsupervised home tests. One or two brands among the variety of tests distributed by the government offer you the ability to purchase a telehealth proctoring service that will convert the testing process into a session with document results that will qualify the test for travel purposes. You have to check if the specific tests you have offer this service.

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we use OnPoint Testing (multiple testing sites primarily throughout the western US) for rapid Antigen and rapid PCR tests (our location is 5 minutes from SFO and is relatively inexpensive) with very quick results (30 minutes max for antigen and several hours max for PCR). Results are emailed to you.
OnPoint has recently started a telephone-med option. You buy any legitimate home test (including the free govt. ones) and make a telemedicine internet appt (24/7) for proctoring of your BYO unopened test. Cost is about $25 for the certified proctoring. And, since it’s telemedicine, you don’t need to live on the west coast. Excellent! 

 

[klfrodo]

3 hours ago, skybluewaters said:

The at-home Covid antigen tests that have been given out by the US government have expiration dates printed on the box.  Those dates have since been extended by the FDA and are available on the FDA website. 

 

My test box has a July expiration date, and the FDA website says that the date has been extended to October.   If I do a telehealth monitored test in September, will it be disqualified?  I do believe that they ask what the expiration date is when you do the telehealth testing. 

 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by klfrodo

[Hlitner]

Just last week we were chatting with a couple in our Prague hotel that had figured on paying to have their government free tests proctored.  Much to their surprise they discovered that the company that provided this service only did so with an advance appointment and there were no appointments open on the day they needed to be tested!  Otherwise, it does seem like a good idea :).  

 

We used the BinaxNOW proctored by Navica.  These are what is recommended by multiple cruise lines and with this service you do not need any kind of advance appointment.  You simply set up your account and log on when you want to get tested.  Our waiting time (for both DW and me) to get a proctor was about 5 min.  As to our fellow hotel friends (who had expected to use their free government tests) they did fine but needed to have the hotel make arrangements to be tested locally in Prague.  Not sure what they did with those free tests :).  We still have our free test kits sitting at home.  

 

So a word to the wise.  If you plan on using the free test kits with a proctored service make sure to set-up an appointment well in advance and have a backup Plan B.....in case it does not work out.  Speaking of proctored tests, folks should also keep in mind that you need a decent Internet connection that can be maintained for at least 20 minutes.  

 

Hank

[Flatbush Flyer]

 

16 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

The free at home Covid tests are not the ones that are proctored or approved for travel.

when using the correct tests, you have to hold the box up so they can scan the QR code on the box and they take a picture of the expiration date.

Reread my post #6. 
Until recently, the available telemedicine testers only proctored products they sold like EMed and its proctoring of the Binax Now Test they sell.  (If they wanted, EMed could proctor the Binax Now home test you can get at CVS [same test]. However, they’ll only do the versions they sell as a package of test and television-lab
Now, several labs like OnPoint are not requiring that you buy the products they sell. (In fact, they don’t sell tests). Ergo, OnPoint will proctor bona fide home tests for those who want/need certified lab results. Unopened govt supplied home tests (which, BTW, are sealed, dated and QR coded) do qualify.

You do have to set an appointment. But, test proctoring is available now 24/7.

We’ll still do OnPoint at SFO when the flight day works for the pre-cruise test window (48-72 hrs). But, we’ll have the DIY kits with us as a backup. BTW, we also prearrange backup testing as may be needed via connecting with our pre-Cruise hotel concierge and the last resort is Oceania still provides pierside testing though now tOh have to pay for it. 

 

Edited May 20, 2022 by Flatbush Flyer

[njhorseman]

49 minutes ago, Flatbush Flyer said:

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we use OnPoint Testing (multiple testing sites primarily throughout the western US) for rapid Antigen and rapid PCR tests (our location is 5 minutes from SFO and is relatively inexpensive) with very quick results (30 minutes max for antigen and several hours max for PCR). Results are emailed to you.
OnPoint has recently started a telephone-med option. You buy any legitimate home test (including the free govt. ones) and make a telemedicine internet appt (24/7) for proctoring of your BYO unopened test. Cost is about $25 for the certified proctoring. And, since it’s telemedicine, you don’t need to live on the west coast. Excellent! 

 

Interesting. I hadn't heard of that service or anything similar. I see they've lowered their price to $18.99.

[Flatbush Flyer]

7 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

Interesting. I hadn't heard of that service or anything similar. I see they've lowered their price to $18.99.

Since it’s primarily a West Coast operation particularly along the Pacific, there’s not much name recognition elsewhere. 

[Dancing Shoes]

On 5/19/2022 at 8:29 PM, Flatbush Flyer said:

In the San Francisco Bay Area, we use OnPoint Testing (multiple testing sites primarily throughout the western US) for rapid Antigen and rapid PCR tests (our location is 5 minutes from SFO and is relatively inexpensive) with very quick results (30 minutes max for antigen and several hours max for PCR). Results are emailed to you.
OnPoint has recently started a telephone-med option. You buy any legitimate home test (including the free govt. ones) and make a telemedicine internet appt (24/7) for proctoring of your BYO unopened test. Cost is about $25 for the certified proctoring. And, since it’s telemedicine, you don’t need to live on the west coast. Excellent! 

 

Sounds good.  I looked at the site and could not tell how fast you get the results with the tele-med.  Do you happen to know?  

[GTO-Girl]

11 hours ago, Dancing Shoes said:

Sounds good.  I looked at the site and could not tell how fast you get the results with the tele-med.  Do you happen to know?  

we have the results as soon as the session is done…..less than 1 min

[Flatbush Flyer]

8 minutes ago, GTO-Girl said:

we have the results as soon as the session is done…..less than 1 min

For OnPoint, the timing of the results email being received depends on the volume of tests being done at that time. 
So far, we’ve only done the in-person Antigen test at the small parking lot site in San Bruno (w/i 5 minutes drive to SFO). We received those results before we reached the airport.

Note that the website says w/i an hour for Antigen.
We have not yet used the new Telemedicine option. I called OnPoint about the PCR timing and was told “w/i 5 hrs.”

Later this week, we’ll stop at OnPoint enroute to SFO (driver we use is OK with added stops of short duration). Because we’re headed to ARN (via FRA) for a 2 night pre-Cruise stay (on a weekend), we’ll do both rapid Antigen and rapid PCR at OnPoint. 
Why? The quick results of Antigen will give us an almost immediate email, which will tell us whether we should even board the plane (and satisfy any change in transit testing requirements at FRA (even though we’re both double boosted w/Moderna). The PCR results may take up to 5 hrs which would find us already in the air. (Don’t want a worst case scenario - not being able to reuse the tix at a later date). The PCR test for Oceania has a 72 hr window pre-embarkation. But, currently, an antigen test window has been shortened to 48 hr. So PCR pre-SFO departure addresses that requirement and spares us having to find a test site at FRA or anywhere in Stockholm (on a Saturday night or anytime Sunday).

That said, we’ll also bring some of the free US antigen tests with us (as a backup to be used with the OnPoint telemedicine (24/7) service if needed -though it is so new a service that getting a close-in appt. might be the great unknown.

Of course, we could do XpresCheck for 1 hour PCR at SFO (and have appointments there). But, the >$250 pp charge at any test site in the terminal there irks me! And you’d have to do all three of the OnPoint tests to come close to that $ cost.