COVID Testing Made Easy.
OCTOBER 26, 2021
FOR AMERICANS returning home from abroad, few things are more of a hassle than the requirement to get a COVID test. The government mandates that returning citizens be tested within three days of their flight, regardless of which country they’re coming from. Airlines will not let you board without proof of a negative result.
There was talk of eliminating this requirement as of November 8th — the date when foreign citizens will again be granted entry to the U.S. But in fact the rule is getting tougher: if you’re an unvaccinated American, you will now need a test within one day instead of three.
Tracking down a testing location in a foreign country can be challenging. They often aren’t available where you’d most expect them to be: at the airport. Even when they are, hurrying to the airport for a last-minute test hours before departure can be stressful. Before coming home from Dubai not long ago, my friend and I spent half a day traipsing around the city in a taxi. The hotel had given us directions to a facility that turned out to be closed, forcing us to hunt down a different one. Once we found it, the lines were long and the forms and document checks took forever to complete. Then, it took almost 24 hours to receive our results, instead of the promised twelve hours. A little nerve-wracking when you’re flight is leaving the next day.
Traveling back from Colombia a few weeks ago, however, was a whole different experience, thanks to something I didn’t know existed until just prior to leaving home: a CDC and FDA-approved self-testing kit that you carry with you on your trip. You take the test when you need to, and the results are certified through video call supervision.
Initially, CDC stipulations required that a traveler’s COVID test be administered in a laboratory. That changed as of last May, when the approval was given for self-tests that meet certain criteria. At least three companies are now providing this service, selling under the brands BinaxNOW, Ellume, and Qured.
The one I used was Qured. I don’t typically go the route of shameless product plugs, but this time I can’t resist. I can’t say enough about how affordable and convenient this service was.
Author’s photo
It works like this:
First, you order the Qured kit prior to your trip. It costs about $50. It’s a small box containing two do-it-yourself tests and instructions. You then create an account and schedule a video consultation to take place prior to your flight home (within that three-day return window). Throw the kit into your carry-on bag and take it with you.
When the time comes, you assemble your kit and dial in to a video chat. A Qured representative then talks you through the test — it’s a simple nasal swab, which you then place in a tube of solution along with a paper strip — and explains how to photograph and submit the results via email. A short while later you receive a confirmation document, which you’ll show to the airline prior to boarding.
That’s it. The test can be completed in the privacy of your hotel room and takes no more than ten minutes. All you need is WiFi and a phone. I had my email confirmation less than fifteen minutes after the call.
Consumer reviews of BinaxNOW have mentioned long wait times and lack of video call availability, and Ellume was forced to recall a number of kits due to a high number of false positives. Presumably these issues will be ironed out; in the meantime, I had no such problems with Qured. There were slots open pretty much around the clock, and I was able to begin the consultation a few minutes earlier than was scheduled.
It’s really that easy.
Wisely, airlines have begun partnering with these providers, allowing you to order when booking your flight reservations. Check with your carrier to see what’s available. The only potential sticking point is that not all countries allow the importation of medical test kits. CDC advises travelers to “contact authorities at their destination.”
Regardless of what you think of the thee-day test rule, we’re stuck with it for the foreseeable future. Fortunately there’s now an alternative to the hassle of trudging to a clinic or testing center. It’s fast, ultra-convenient, and actually less expensive than what many labs will charge. Frankly, I can’t understand why any traveler wouldn’t take advantage of this.
Related Stories:
A PILOT’S LIFE DURING COVID
COVID CASUALTIES: PREDICTIONS AND OBSERVATIONS
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8 Responses to “COVID Testing Made Easy.”
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This guy is puppyhead yet somehow obligatory, dutiful, perhaps subtly slyly whining in his post.
It makes me wish Leslie Nielson and Lloyd Bridges were still alive. That way there would be more movies to stream like Airplane! Sequels made in the current situation of in-flight violence, delay, pouty pilots. Add in Chuck Yeager, America’s greatest test pilot(who, reports according, had a rollicking sense of humor) and you would have a dream team of pilots and some decent hilarious holiday binge-streaming.
btw, Chuck Yeager passed almost a year ago, 7-12-2020. History.
Puppyhead? Whining, sure. But puppyhead?
Thanks Patrick. I’m scheduled to fly on American from Fresno to Phoenix on Sat, Nov 13th. And back the next day.
It would be just my luck……
I tried this product for a trip last month. The box contains two tests and they let you sign up for two appointments (for two people). But they don’t tell you that each kit only allows only ONE result.
We (two people) each completed and submitted our test, but they refused to send the second result after accepting it, saying I should have purchased two tests. Nowhere is this stated on website or in instructions. I felt ripped off and wasted half a day the next morning getting a (redundant) local test. Beware.
I can see why you’d be annoyed. They shouldn’t allow you to sign up for two appointments if you purchase only one kit. However, when you place the order, the assumption is you’re buying ONE test. It never dawned on me that I could maybe use the same kit for two appointments.
Recently traveled to Portugal and used the EMED/Binaxnow/Navica combo. Their wait times have dramatically improved. We did a couple of practice tests but it was super easy. From what I’ve read, the EU may not support the binax now test so one our outbound trip, we also did a PCR.
Ironically, it’s because testing in the US is so bad I’d resort to a test like this right here in the states.
Some countries require a PCR test taken within 72 hrs before entry. Good luck finding a testing center in the US with a guaranteed 24-hr turnaround time that’s under $500. Even more so *at* an airport—surprisingly. Most guarantee 48 hrs—if you can get a walk-in appointment at all that is. And that’s cutting it awfully close top the 3-day limit.
By contrast, ZRH airport offers walk-in testing and they will tell you ahead of time *exactly* when you get your results depending on your testing time. The worst case is about 10 hrs (if you arrive after 8pm). And they do that all quickly and professionally for about $150 (PCR) or $50 (antigen), the latter with results on the spot within a few minutes.
US exceptionalism goes both ways. We need to realize there’s a big world out there and these days they do a lot at a level we cannot compete with. We should be on the lookout for exactly that and then, instead of feigning ignorance and recalling American greatness of bygone decades, massively up our game. Talk is cheap. We need to actually *lead* again. Our Covid testing is such a minefield. Third-worldian right here in our rich powerful country. Shameful.
The lack of PCR test availability is something I complained about here: https://askthepilot.com/covid-casualties/
I finally was able to find a lab near Boston that will do a rapid PCR with the results in about an hour. It isn’t cheap, but if I wanna travel somewhere that has a 48- or 72-hour rule, it’s my only option. Some airport locations do PCRs, but none that I know of will give you results in less than a day, making the entire thing useless. And, oh, the COVID testing place at BOS airport costs $250, doesn’t do PCR, and closes at 5 p.m.!