Government test kits

[NancyL2]

Are the test kits the government sent out acceptable for ncl?

[Married90]

11 minutes ago, NancyL2 said:

Are the test kits the government sent out acceptable for ncl?

Nope.   Same type of test but they can not be certified or proctored by a medical personnel.  

[NancyL2]

2 minutes ago, Married90 said:

Nope.   Same type of test but they can not be certified or proctored by a medical personnel.  

Thanks

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, NancyL2 said:

Are the test kits the government sent out acceptable for ncl?

You need a test administered or monitored by a recognized lab that will furnish you with a report that you can provide to the cruise line. Your government home test will not produce a report... just a single line (hopefully). 

 

NCL has an at home test that you can use at https://www.emed.com/  (6 test kits for $150. Your insurance should reimburse you for the first $12 per kit). 

Edited February 25, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Pat]

My place of employment does BinaxNOW antigen tests on employees frequently and submit the results to CDC.     Each employee gets a printout that reports the name of the test and the result, along with the name of the Dr. and facility and the employee's name and DOB.  It gives a reference number for the test submission to our state CDC.  Does it seem like this printout would be enough for NCL?   Having the test done at my job site would be so much easier than going somewhere else.  Thanks for your help.

[Married90]

18 minutes ago, Pat said:

My place of employment does BinaxNOW antigen tests on employees frequently and submit the results to CDC.     Each employee gets a printout that reports the name of the test and the result, along with the name of the Dr. and facility and the employee's name and DOB.  It gives a reference number for the test submission to our state CDC.  Does it seem like this printout would be enough for NCL?   Having the test done at my job site would be so much easier than going somewhere else.  Thanks for your help.

PER NCL:    

At the time of check-in, all guests will be required to provide proof of a negative COVID-19 antigen or PCR test result administered by a verified third party, via medically supervised home test ..., within two days prior to boarding for cruises originating in a U.S. port and three days prior for voyages departing from a non-U.S. port. Guests must bring printed proof of negative test results. Test results need to be in English and include the following information:

• Your name, which should match the name on your travel documents
• Your date of birth
• The result of the test
• The date the test sample was collected
• The name of the test provider
• Confirmation of the type of test provided

[Pat]

Yes I did read all that on the site.  We also got a letter from NCL that seemed to imply you had to get a "medically supervised home test" from their recommended providers,  but then I read on this site that people had gotten theirs done at Walgreens or Rite Aid.  I'm not trying to be stupid or difficult,  and I'm fairly good reader,  but I'm still left wondering if this means I can or I can't have my test done at my workplace.   I guess what I'm really asking is if anyone has any experience with NCL taking the results of a workplace antigen test, that includes all of the information listed,  as proof of negative test.  I don't want to get there with my proof and have  it declared inadequate when it "seems" to me to include all the necessary elements.  I would gladly ask NCL if I knew how to do that.  

[Married90]

40 minutes ago, Pat said:

Yes I did read all that on the site.  We also got a letter from NCL that seemed to imply you had to get a "medically supervised home test" from their recommended providers,  but then I read on this site that people had gotten theirs done at Walgreens or Rite Aid.  I'm not trying to be stupid or difficult,  and I'm fairly good reader,  but I'm still left wondering if this means I can or I can't have my test done at my workplace.   I guess what I'm really asking is if anyone has any experience with NCL taking the results of a workplace antigen test, that includes all of the information listed,  as proof of negative test.  I don't want to get there with my proof and have  it declared inadequate when it "seems" to me to include all the necessary elements.  I would gladly ask NCL if I knew how to do that.  

Is the test at your workplace being handled by a Medical company (Third Party?)  From what I understand the Walgreens/RitAid tests are overseen by the pharmacy dept (medical) .  My recommendation to you is to contact NCL customer service with  the printout of a previous test showing everything and specifically ask, is this testing result acceptable if taken within 2 days of then sailing.   

Assuming yes, ask for it in writing and take it  with you along with the results if anyone questions show them the response from NCL customer service approving it.  

[lepidoptera]

1 hour ago, Pat said:

My place of employment does BinaxNOW antigen tests on employees frequently and submit the results to CDC.     Each employee gets a printout that reports the name of the test and the result, along with the name of the Dr. and facility and the employee's name and DOB.  It gives a reference number for the test submission to our state CDC.  Does it seem like this printout would be enough for NCL?   Having the test done at my job site would be so much easier than going somewhere else.  Thanks for your help.

Does the report have a CLIA number? If it does I would think you are okay. If not I would probably get a test done at a CVS/Walgreens. 

[Sailing12Away]

15 hours ago, lepidoptera said:

Does the report have a CLIA number? If it does I would think you are okay. If not I would probably get a test done at a CVS/Walgreens. 

Exactly. CLIA number shows them that the test was performed by a licensed and approved lab - not by receptionist Sally as general employee screening to curtail the spread among positive asymptomatic people. 

 

I work in a lab. I'm planning on getting our swabs done and registered as regular outpatient samples and then walking them over to the molecular department to be added to the next batch that runs through. Should have our results in about 4 hours before I go home for the day, and I can print out the official patient chart reports with the lab CLIA number and information on there.

 

Essentially it just needs to be documented that the specimen was collected appropriately and results were interpreted by a 'legal' independent person. Not yourself just declaring that you're good to go after waiving the swab around in a glass of water. 

[lepidoptera]

On 2/26/2022 at 7:50 AM, Sailing12Away said:

I work in a lab. I'm planning on getting our swabs done and registered as regular outpatient samples and then walking them over to the molecular department to be added to the next batch that runs through

I also work in a lab! Medical Technologist here, what do you do? 

 

Unfortunately I can’t really run the test myself or have my coworkers do it. My site only does covid testing on hospitalized patients and for the home hospice. Everything else is routed to the outpatient lab across town. We can reroute things, but I know for Covid tests we have to put a reason why and it is flagged on a special exception report.
 

So it was funny for my Alaska cruise in the fall I had to stop running Covid tests, take some PTO to get swabbed at CVS (our outpatient lab was running about 4 days for non stat tests). 

[Sue Do-Over]

On 2/25/2022 at 3:04 PM, Pat said:

Yes I did read all that on the site.  We also got a letter from NCL that seemed to imply you had to get a "medically supervised home test" from their recommended providers,  but then I read on this site that people had gotten theirs done at Walgreens or Rite Aid.  I'm not trying to be stupid or difficult,  and I'm fairly good reader,  but I'm still left wondering if this means I can or I can't have my test done at my workplace.   I guess what I'm really asking is if anyone has any experience with NCL taking the results of a workplace antigen test, that includes all of the information listed,  as proof of negative test.  I don't want to get there with my proof and have  it declared inadequate when it "seems" to me to include all the necessary elements.  I would gladly ask NCL if I knew how to do that.  

We cruised in November on NCL - first cruise back out of Miami.  Other passengers had taken home tests (and even brought the test itself with them as 'proof').  The rep explained that it was impossible to prove that 'they' had actually taken the test, that it had been administered properly, and that it was within the time period required -- so they were tested along with everyone else in the queue.  This doesn't suggest that you would have the same experience, or that every rep would answer the same way, but that's what we observed up close.

 

Your original didn't make clear whether your workplace tests are administered by healthcare professionals versus a colleague handing out tests and logging the results. (I see that it's been  updated now).  Even though the Walgreens/CVS/Rite Aid tests may seem to be administered by random teenagers, some specific healthcare training is required, and the company will stand behind the quality of the process.

 

I work at corporate for one of those pharmacies, and am familiar with the training requirements that certified those associates to administer tests in the stores and at off-site testing locations.

 

Edited February 27, 2022 by Sue Do-Over

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, lepidoptera said:

I also work in a lab! Medical Technologist here, what do you do? 

 

Unfortunately I can’t really run the test myself or have my coworkers do it. My site only does covid testing on hospitalized patients and for the home hospice. Everything else is routed to the outpatient lab across town. We can reroute things, but I know for Covid tests we have to put a reason why and it is flagged on a special exception report.
 

So it was funny for my Alaska cruise in the fall I had to stop running Covid tests, take some PTO to get swabbed at CVS (our outpatient lab was running about 4 days for non stat tests). 

MLS (ASCP)cm, CPP here too 😉 

 

Currently working as a QA director for a 3 lab health system in Brooklyn. We've got the Liat at the 2 smaller labs for STAT testing, the Cepheid at our larger site, and then all routine work is going on the Alinity for ~4hr (more like 8hr) TAT. All employees can get tested as often as they need, and it gets routed to the Alinity at the main lab.

 

My next scheduled cruise isn't until May and who knows what the rules will be by then. But if I have to test myself before getting to the port, I'll do it the day before I fly to Spain. If that's not good enough, they can retest me when I get there. Double vaxxed, boosted, and have thankfully never tested positive despite all the chaos and positivity around me.

[lepidoptera]

On 2/27/2022 at 2:31 PM, Sailing12Away said:

MLS (ASCP)cm, CPP here too 😉 

 

Currently working as a QA director for a 3 lab health system in Brooklyn. We've got the Liat at the 2 smaller labs for STAT testing, the Cepheid at our larger site, and then all routine work is going on the Alinity for ~4hr (more like 8hr) TAT. All employees can get tested as often as they need, and it gets routed to the Alinity at the main lab.

 

My next scheduled cruise isn't until May and who knows what the rules will be by then. But if I have to test myself before getting to the port, I'll do it the day before I fly to Spain. If that's not good enough, they can retest me when I get there. Double vaxxed, boosted, and have thankfully never tested positive despite all the chaos and positivity around me.

I love my QA team, I have been the interim supervisor of the blood bank at my hospital. I was supposed to be just working on supervisory tasks half of the week, but I ended i up getting 0-2 days off the bench a month. So I’ve been working crazy, crazy hours with that on top of the staff shoragtes/people getting covid. The QA ladies have been so helpful especially with responses for our inspections (had NYS CAP already and AABB is coming this week) and with helping with the re-validations since we are having a. lab remodel. We have just hired a new supervisor and once I get her up to speed I can go back to being the Lead Senior tech for the core lab/blood bank.

 

We have a fleet of LIAT at our site, usually about 3. They can’t handle the workload and keep breaking. The other analyzers we work with are the diasorin. We did a validation for the rheonix, but once we got it all validated they decided to give it to the outpatient laboratory😂. I know they have Cepheid analyzers there as well.

 

I can get a test no problem through work, but it will be an antigen test. If the antigen test is negative, and I have symptoms, I may or may not get a PCR test based on the evaluation of employee health. There is a dedicated drive through line for testing.

 

My next cruises are July (Iceland) and  Spain TA (October) and I am hopeful by then that testing might not be needed.