Jump to content

Does Carnival accept Switch Health at home antigen tests?


Encore37
 Share

Recommended Posts

11 minutes ago, katiecat said:

I am planning on using them next weekend for carnival.

 

Have you heard they work to get onboard?  I read somewhere that they got FDA approval recently but I'm not sure how true that is.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

Yes

 

Many people on here have used it succssfully.

 

i suggest you scroll through the many topics that have been started already as I'm sure you will find very detailed answers to your question.

 

 

I looked through the topics on first two pages of this forum and haven't seen anything relating to boarding Carnival with the Switch Health at home Antigen tests.  Can you post the link?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, Encore37 said:

 

I looked through the topics on first two pages of this forum and haven't seen anything relating to boarding Carnival with the Switch Health at home Antigen tests.  Can you post the link?

I haven't found anyone mentioning Carnival and Switch Health either. I'm tempted to order and give it a try but I'd love to hear from someone confirming Carnival accept this one.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, casey95 said:

I haven't found anyone mentioning Carnival and Switch Health either. I'm tempted to order and give it a try but I'd love to hear from someone confirming Carnival accept this one.

 

I'm going to do some more digging tomorrow.  I'll post back here if I can confirm or deny they can be used.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, casey95 said:

I haven't found anyone mentioning Carnival and Switch Health either. I'm tempted to order and give it a try but I'd love to hear from someone confirming Carnival accept this one.

 

Every cruise line accepts the same tests. In the beginning there was so inconsistencies with vaccine requirements, but there has never been changes with testing requirements.

 

The tests are checked by port staff, who don't work for the cruise line, but for the specific ports.

Every port has multiple cruiselines and thus the staff that are checking your vaccines and test results are using the same rules as every other cruise line.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, K_e_short said:

 

Every cruise line accepts the same tests. In the beginning there was so inconsistencies with vaccine requirements, but there has never been changes with testing requirements.

 

The tests are checked by port staff, who don't work for the cruise line, but for the specific ports.

Every port has multiple cruiselines and thus the staff that are checking your vaccines and test results are using the same rules as every other cruise line.

 

I wasn't aware that the staff at the ports don't work for the cruise lines.  Thanks for the info!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Encore37 said:

 

I wasn't aware that the staff at the ports don't work for the cruise lines.  Thanks for the info!

 

If you go to the Carnival website and read up on the requirements for the at home proctored onine test. 

And then go to the Switch Health website and read up on that info you will see that it is acceptable.

 

Another thing to add is are you using that test to only board the ship, or are you using it to fly into the U.S.?

If the test can be used to fly into the U.S. it can be used to board a cruise ship.

 

It is the CDC that made the rules of needing an antigen test within a day of flying into the U.S. and they are the same group that made the rule that an antigen test is needed within a day to board a cruise ship.

 

When you go on the Switch Health website it clearly says that it is approved to enter the U.S. and Air Canada would be stupid to offer a product that would not allow them customers to fly on their planes.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

40 minutes ago, Encore37 said:

 

Have you heard they work to get onboard?  I read somewhere that they got FDA approval recently but I'm not sure how true that is.

 

 

 

24 minutes ago, Encore37 said:

Thanks but none of those links mention Carnival.  I'm looking for information specific to boarding Carnival cruises with these tests.

 

Ask Carnival directly for an answer that will possibly satisfy you.

 

What has been documented in various threads in this section is that the test has been used successfully to fly to US destinations and that both versions of the test sold have FDA approval.

 

You can visit the FDA site to lookup approved test kits.

 

I'm not aware of any Carnival requirement that deviates from CDC requirements.

Edited by broberts
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thanks for all the feedback. I was concerned and confused too since the SwitchHealth antigen box doesn't mention the FDA approval. I fly in 3 days before my cruise so I'll use one test to fly and the other in the box, to get on the ship. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The FDA has granted an EUA for the Lucira RT-LAMP test kit sold by Switch Health, but not for the Rapid Antigen test. That's why the box makes no mention of an approval. You could use the RT-LAMP test, but  at almost 4 times the price for a single test, there may be better alternatives. 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, Fouremco said:

The FDA has granted an EUA for the Lucira RT-LAMP test kit sold by Switch Health, but not for the Rapid Antigen test. That's why the box makes no mention of an approval. You could use the RT-LAMP test, but  at almost 4 times the price for a single test, there may be better alternatives. 

 

When Switch Health first came out with the testing I emailed them, along with a few others.

They were clear that the antigen tests were approved and could be used for travel.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, K_e_short said:

 

When Switch Health first came out with the testing I emailed them, along with a few others.

They were clear that the antigen tests were approved and could be used for travel.

Approved by whom, FDA or Health Canada? Health Canada's only listing of an approved test kit by Lucira is for the RT-LAMP kit.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 minutes ago, K_e_short said:

Found proof on the Book of Faces that it is accepted.

 

 

20220115_211949 (1).jpg

20220115_212208.jpg

As far as I can see, there's one person who has claimed to have used the Switch Health Antigen test that has not been issued an EUA. Your guess is as good as mine as to whether this means that anyone can use one, in spite of their policy, or whether the one person was just lucky.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

The FDA has granted an EUA for the Lucira RT-LAMP test kit sold by Switch Health, but not for the Rapid Antigen test. That's why the box makes no mention of an approval. You could use the RT-LAMP test, but  at almost 4 times the price for a single test, there may be better alternatives. 

 

See the test kit instructions. It notes that the kit contains SD Biosensor Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Nasal Test Kit which does have FDA emergency use authorization. I suspect Switch health is simply remarketing that kit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The SwitchHealth tests are not FDA approved, I've just learned.

 

Good evening Bonnie,

 

Thank you for reaching out to us about this inquiry. The Antigen Testing kits meet a 97% specificity and 80% sensitivity at viral loads of 100,000 copies/ml but they are not FDA approved. The SD Biosensor’s Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Nasal Test was authorized by Health Canada on April 21, 2021, for self-testing with oversight by a telehealth professional. If you have anymore questions or concerns please feel free to reach out.

 

Shannon M. 

Customer Resolutions Specialist, Customer Experience

T: 1 888-966-6531

contact@SwitchHealth.ca

  • Like 1
  • Thanks 3
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I take what I say back then. I apologize.

 

However

 

1 - It is approved to enter the U.S., so shouldn't we be worried about using that test to enter the U.S., since it's the same organization (CDC) that decides approval and Covid rules for flying and cruising.

 

2 - Do the port staff actually know the list of FDA approved tests and are they trained enough to know that this specific test is not FDA?

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, broberts said:

 

See the test kit instructions. It notes that the kit contains SD Biosensor Standard Q COVID-19 Ag Nasal Test Kit which does have FDA emergency use authorization. I suspect Switch health is simply remarketing that kit.

Same reply as on the other two threads: the FDA's EUA was issued for SD Biosensor's non-proctored test kit, not the proctored version sold by Switch Health.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...