Switch health question

[tottenhamfc]

5 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

I am presenting the fact that the antigen is not FDA approved

None of the posts were clear so I decided to dO my own research. I have enquires with Switch to see if the Antigen test can be clinic monitored. If so it will qualify. I am still not 100% convinced that the port staff will

discern the technical aspect of this. They are looking for name, date vaxx record and NEGATIVE. The expectation of all foreign tests meeting FDA approval is silly. Do airlines carrying 100,000’s of thousands a day if travellers all Meet the standard? I doubt it. 

[WorkerBee74]

50 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

LOL. So presenting facts is alarmism in your view?

 

BTW, the link you have provided to the FDA website is not for the test kit sold be Switch Health. This is exactly the type of disinformation that begs challenging.

 

 

"Begs challenging".  I'm going on vacation, not to court.  I'm done here but I'll be sure to let everyone know what happens when I actually board the ship, which is the type of information people are looking for on this thread, not challenging all the things from your keyboard.  

 

I also assume that anyone boarding a cruise in Canada with a Switch Health test will be thrown into the sea immediately upon touching the first drop of US water - you've been WARNED!

Edited March 19, 2022 by WorkerBee74

[Fouremco]

4 minutes ago, WorkerBee74 said:

 

"Begs challenging".  I'm going on vacation, not to court.  I'm done here but I'll be sure to let everyone know what happens when I actually board the ship, which is the type of information people are looking for on this thread, not challenging all the things from your keyboard.  

As I've said, in spite of the cruiselines' regulations requiring tests that are FDA approved, the likelihood of being refused boarding is miniscule. Enjoy your cruise!

[tottenhamfc]

15 minutes ago, WorkerBee74 said:

 

"Begs challenging".  I'm going on vacation, not to court.  I'm done here but I'll be sure to let everyone know what happens when I actually board the ship, which is the type of information people are looking for on this thread, not challenging all the things from your keyboard.  

 

I also assume that anyone boarding a cruise in Canada with a Switch Health test will be thrown into the sea immediately upon touching the first drop of US water - you've been WARNED!

When is your cruise? 

[broberts]

2 hours ago, tottenhamfc said:

For RCL

 

Telehealth Testing for Cruises Departing from U.S. Ports including San Juan, Puerto Rico

For fully vaccinated guests as young as 5 who are cruising from U.S. ports, we accept self-administered COVID-19 tests taken under live video supervision.

Telehealth self-tests taken at home must meet these requirements:

• Per U.S. CDC guidance, only vaccinated guests may present self-administered telehealth COVID-19 test results at the terminal to satisfy the pre-cruise testing requirement.
• The test must have Emergency Use Authorization from the U.S. FDA.
• The self-test process must happen under live supervision on a video call with a telehealth representative.
• The telehealth provider must issue you a result document that includes all the necessary information.
• International guests sailing from the U.S. are able to complete their testing using telehealth test kits, providing the kit has been authorized for use by the U.S. FDA. Telehealth test kits obtained internationally that do not meet this requirement will not be accepted.International guests can arrange to have F.D.A.-approved test kits shipped to the U.S. address where they’ll be staying before their cruise and complete their test prior to departing for the cruise terminal using a U.S. PayPal address to complete the purchase

Switch Health website FAQ

 

 

Who manufactures your COVID-19 RT-LAMP Home Collection Kits?

 

Our kits are manufactured by Lucira Health, a medical technology company with the first and only FDA, EUA, and HC authorized single-use molecular test for at-home use. This disposable test kit, known as the Lucira Check It COVID-19 Test Kit, is able to detect DNA and RNA of infectious diseases, like COVID-19. Lucira Check It COVID-19 Test Kits provide PCR quality molecular accuracy in 30 minutes 

 

So we are discussing antigen kits and you provide a quote concerning a molecular test.

 

BTW CDC flight entry only requires a test approved by "the relevant national authority where the test is administered". Clearly not as restrictive as some cruise line pre-boarding test requirements.

 

[tottenhamfc]

17 minutes ago, broberts said:

 

So we are discussing antigen kits and you provide a quote concerning a molecular test.

 

BTW CDC flight entry only requires a test approved by "the relevant national authority where the test is administered". Clearly not as restrictive as some cruise line pre-boarding test requirements.

 

I was waiting for Switch Health as that link was on their website. They informed me that that antigen test by phone is not FDA approved. However someone posted that if it was administered at a clinic it was. And Switch can do that for an additional cost.

[dog]

I bought the Switch test kit $79 aeroplan member. Is is acceptable to board a princess ship sailing out of Vancouver for Alaska cruise?

[Fouremco]

17 minutes ago, dog said:

I bought the Switch test kit $79 aeroplan member. Is is acceptable to board a princess ship sailing out of Vancouver for Alaska cruise?

For Princess cruises from the US, the regulations state that a telehealth proctored home test must be FDA authorized. As this thread indicates, the regulations and the enforcement of the regulations are two different things, and it is very possible that results from non-FDA approved kits like those from Switch Health will be accepted.

 

Princess has now published its requirements for cruises from the UK, including the following:

For U.K.-based guests, Princess recommends an option for an FDA-authorized, medically supervised at-home antigen test kit through our testing partner Prenetics™ (£30).

The website doesn't address the question of other brands of supervised home test kits, what authorizations might be required, or the use of such tests for guests who aren't UK-based.

 

As yet, Princess hasn't published requirements for Canada, so it's a bit early to tell what their stated requirements might be. As it would be silly not to allow Canadians to embark on a cruise sailing from Canada using a test kit approved in Canada, one would hope that common sense will prevail.

 

[CTP]

On 3/14/2022 at 1:03 PM, tottenhamfc said:

So if we are using Switch to fly and it is rejected at the port, will they have provisions for testing at check in? I am RCL not Celebrity.

I emailed RCCL to ask them if they will accept the SwitchHealth monitored at home tests but no reply.  On RCCL website I see only the at home testing FAQ has the FDA requirement approval. If you have your testing done at a clinic for travel it will be fine.  I found a clinic up the road from me that is the same price and will be acceptable, so we will go with that rather than muck around with the possibility of having to test again at the cruise terminal my luck I would probably end up with a false positive and miss my cruise LOL

 

It seems so odd to me that CDC approves the use of SwitchHealth to fly into the USA, but not to get on a cruise ship ... oversight maybe? Who knows

[Fouremco]

15 minutes ago, CTP said:

It seems so odd to me that CDC approves the use of SwitchHealth to fly into the USA, but not to get on a cruise ship ... oversight maybe?

I'd suggest that it reflects the fact that the CDC, Health Canada and the health authorities in many other countries consider congregant living for multiple days aboard a cruise ship to pose a greater risk for the spread of Covid than do a few spent hours on a plane. Consequently, the protocols for mitigation are more exacting for cruising than for flying. The CDC specifically permits proctored test kits approved by the health authority of the country from which a flight to the US departs. The fact that no similar allowance has been made for cruises is a deliberate decision IMO, not a simple oversight.

[lakelivin2]

This is giving me a headache......  So if we get the test done at Shoppers/Rexall/airport etc.  These tests will be accepted by the cruise lines (Royal in particular), but if I do the switch rapid antigen (online), then it will allow me into the U.S. but, could be denied by Royal because it is not FDA approved?  Is this right?  I'm going on a Transatlantic and I can't afford to take chances.😒

[Fouremco]

1 hour ago, lakelivin2 said:

This is giving me a headache......  So if we get the test done at Shoppers/Rexall/airport etc.  These tests will be accepted by the cruise lines (Royal in particular), but if I do the switch rapid antigen (online), then it will allow me into the U.S. but, could be denied by Royal because it is not FDA approved?  Is this right?  I'm going on a Transatlantic and I can't afford to take chances.😒

Correct, albeit a very small likelihood of denial. On the other hand, a test at Shoppers, Walmart, Costco, etc., costs less and will definitely accepted. I know which I would choose.

[NWT Cruiser]

17 hours ago, lakelivin2 said:

This is giving me a headache......  So if we get the test done at Shoppers/Rexall/airport etc.  These tests will be accepted by the cruise lines (Royal in particular), but if I do the switch rapid antigen (online), then it will allow me into the U.S. but, could be denied by Royal because it is not FDA approved?  Is this right?  I'm going on a Transatlantic and I can't afford to take chances.😒

 

Hi Lakelivin2;

 

I believe you are on the same Transatlantic as we are (April 20).  I have the same headache as you (only mine feels like a migraine) lol.  But seriously, we ordered two Switch Health Rapid Antigen Test kits and after the order was placed I was told by a friend that these tests are not FDA approved.  We were going to use them two days before reaching our first port.  I called Switch Health and we were told they could not reimburse us as they were just sent out.  We have an appointment with NUMI Health in the Edmonton airport on April 18 (which we were getting done so that we could enter US). NUMI's antigen tests are FDA approved.  With all what's happened, we just might use our Switch Health kits which will get us into US - although not FDA approved and buy the NUMI kits at the Edmonton airport (which are FDA approved) and save them to use 48 hours before our first port.

 

I'm not sure where you live, but regardless, NUMI now has the kits available for sale for approx. $75 per kit.  I believe until the last couple weeks sometime, they were only available in the Edmonton, Calgary and Winnipeg offices (and you couldn't buy them at that time - NUMI had to administer the tests).

 

The following is info from the NUMI site:   

Rapid Antigen Test

Our rapid COVID-19 Antigen test is authorized by Health Canada and the FDA under Interim Order. It test for the presence of the virus, indicating whether you might have been exposed to COVID-19. The test involves a simple nasal swab and the results are available at the point-of-care in as little as 15 minutes.

 

On the lighter side, I think (hope) I have everything ready for sailing.  I hope we meet each other - on the ship - which means we had everything in order.

 

Cheers,

Frances (NWT Cruiser)

[jflood]

On 3/18/2022 at 1:15 PM, larryt1976 said:

Can you please let us know also if there was any issues 

All 4 of us safely on Celebrity Millenium using the switch health antigen tests from Aeroplan!! It was crazy easy

[jflood]

Safely on board the Celebrity Millenium ship and enjoying the 3 rd day of our 10 day cruise and used our switch health antigen tests from Aeroplan ! Easiest thing to use and we were on board in 10 min! Sailed right through without any problems and presented the antigen test 3 times going through!

[tottenhamfc]

6 minutes ago, jflood said:

Safely on board the Celebrity Millenium ship and enjoying the 3 rd day of our 10 day cruise and used our switch health antigen tests from Aeroplan ! Easiest thing to use and we were on board in 10 min! Sailed right through without any problems and presented the antigen test 3 times going through!

Thanks for that. That is what I suspected but you never know. What port was this out of?

[jflood]

4 minutes ago, tottenhamfc said:

Thanks for that. That is what I suspected but you never know. What port was this out of?

Ft Lauderdale, Port Everglades terminal 25

[tottenhamfc]

Just now, jflood said:

Ft Lauderdale, Port Everglades terminal 25

Thank you. Enjoy your cruise.

[jflood]

1 minute ago, jflood said:

Ft Lauderdale, Port Everglades terminal 25

 

[Liverpoolfan181]

3 hours ago, jflood said:

Safely on board the Celebrity Millenium ship and enjoying the 3 rd day of our 10 day cruise and used our switch health antigen tests from Aeroplan ! Easiest thing to use and we were on board in 10 min! Sailed right through without any problems and presented the antigen test 3 times going through!

Wonderful and enjoy every second of your cruise! Thank you for reporting back.

How soon after the test did you receive your results and email confirmations? Did you print out or show your phone? Thank you! 🙂

[WorkerBee74]

Thanks for reporting back - I’m far more interested in real life experiences vs speculation here. I’ll also say that testing in Saskatchewan is a far cry from what is available in Ontario right now. Switch health online is my option and I’m taking it. I’m not interested in lining Haztech’s pockets right now and I shouldn’t have to.

 

I’ll report back on April 2 as well - and I resent anyone telling me I’m trying to skirt regulations that people are reading into and forcing people to take more expensive tests. I’m not skirting anything here, I’m triple vaccinated, wear masks ALWAYS, follow all the health rules (even when my own government is too stupid to enforce or impose them). So, I sure as heck expect that the test good enough to get me into the US is the same one that is good enough to get me on my cruise. 

Edited March 25, 2022 by WorkerBee74
Paragraphs for readability

[AlbertaCruisers]

I was really impressed with the Switch Health rapid antigen test last weekend for Vegas.  It was nice to just do it at home on Thursday morning and not worry about booking appointments, etc.  The process was quick and easy.  Then to come home, we did it in the hotel room on Sunday morning and again, quick and easy process.  We tested and had our results in less than 30 minutes total and it worked great for flying home (which I know is not an issue after April 1).  Everything went smoothly.

I don't think anyone is saying you are doing anything wrong by trying to use it, people just want you to know there is a possible risk based on the cruise line wording being different than the CDC flight guidelines, that it may not be accepted (but hopefully it will be).

 

For our cruise in April, I would love to use the Switch Health tests I have left (I ordered extra in case of any issues and took 2 boxes with us to Vegas), as I loved the process and the ease of use, but we have to decide if it is worth the risk.  I'm fairly certain that no one at the cruise port will know the difference, but we aren't sure we are willing to take the chance that we will be the unlucky ones to have someone at the port who does know the difference and calls us on it (my husband has gotten randomly selected for arrival testing every time coming back so far - so he isn't feeling very lucky!).  I believe, in the event they did call into question our tests, they would likely let us pay for another test at port (as they have people there doing the testing for kids), but I'm guessing that test will be somewhere closer to $80 or more per person and it would be a stressful start to the cruise.  That being said, we have Shoppers Drug Mart as an option here, which is $40 each and we have used them successfully 3 times already, so we will likely just get the test done there, to avoid any potential issues.

[tottenhamfc]

4 minutes ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

I was really impressed with the Switch Health rapid antigen test last weekend for Vegas.  It was nice to just do it at home on Thursday morning and not worry about booking appointments, etc.  The process was quick and easy.  Then to come home, we did it in the hotel room on Sunday morning and again, quick and easy process.  We tested and had our results in less than 30 minutes total and it worked great for flying home (which I know is not an issue after April 1).  Everything went smoothly.

I don't think anyone is saying you are doing anything wrong by trying to use it, people just want you to know there is a possible risk based on the cruise line wording being different than the CDC flight guidelines, that it may not be accepted (but hopefully it will be).

 

For our cruise in April, I would love to use the Switch Health tests I have left (I ordered extra in case of any issues and took 2 boxes with us to Vegas), as I loved the process and the ease of use, but we have to decide if it is worth the risk.  I'm fairly certain that no one at the cruise port will know the difference, but we aren't sure we are willing to take the chance that we will be the unlucky ones to have someone at the port who does know the difference and calls us on it (my husband has gotten randomly selected for arrival testing every time coming back so far - so he isn't feeling very lucky!).  I believe, in the event they did call into question our tests, they would likely let us pay for another test at port (as they have people there doing the testing for kids), but I'm guessing that test will be somewhere closer to $80 or more per person and it would be a stressful start to the cruise.  That being said, we have Shoppers Drug Mart as an option here, which is $40 each and we have used them successfully 3 times already, so we will likely just get the test done there, to avoid any potential issues.

Nice to have Shoppers. We were STUCK with the monopoly LifeLabs in BC. Now that antigens are allowed it is opening up to more providers. That being said 40 bucks is really cheap as is 20 in Ontario. We are 60 at Lifelabs and that is why people go to Switch Health.

Edited March 25, 2022 by tottenhamfc

[broberts]

39 minutes ago, WorkerBee74 said:

Thanks for reporting back - I’m far more interested in real life experiences vs speculation here. I’ll also say that testing in Saskatchewan is a far cry from what is available in Ontario right now. Switch health online is my option and I’m taking it. I’m not interested in lining Haztech’s pockets right now and I shouldn’t have to.

 

I’ll report back on April 2 as well - and I resent anyone telling me I’m trying to skirt regulations that people are reading into and forcing people to take more expensive tests. I’m not skirting anything here, I’m triple vaccinated, wear masks ALWAYS, follow all the health rules (even when my own government is too stupid to enforce or impose them). So, I sure as heck expect that the test good enough to get me into the US is the same one that is good enough to get me on my cruise. 

 

You resent being told about about the plain text of a regulation? What tender sensibilities.

 

I hope things go smoothly for you. 

[WorkerBee74]

5 hours ago, broberts said:

 

You resent being told about about the plain text of a regulation? What tender sensibilities.

 

I hope things go smoothly for you. 

 

🙄