Walgreens Covid Tests Naat Test

[mbddisney]

I know that we need to bring a copy of the results of the negative covid test.  Is the email that is sent to you enough for proof as I understand that is how Walgreens sends the results.

[awhfy]

Yes the email is perfect

[killsport]

Email will do fine, as @awhfy mentioned. If possible, I'd print it out (as a backup if your phone breaks/gets stolen)

[REEtired]

Haven’t used this test but will soon. How quickly do the results get emailed to you. Thx. 

[killsport]

For me, the non-PCR test result was emailed 3 hours later.

[mafig]

Does CVS email also?

[cluso]

3 hours ago, REEtired said:

Haven’t used this test but will soon. How quickly do the results get emailed to you. Thx. 

Walgreens emailed my results within an hour.  Probably depends on the number of tests they do/your location.

Edited March 25, 2022 by cluso

[Jim_Iain]

44 minutes ago, mafig said:

Does CVS email also?

My experience with CVS is that once test results are in I got an Text with a link where you can access and print your results from.   They are available for  5 days.    For longer period they recommend savings on phone or you can access it in your dashboard on Minute Clinic (CVS).

[Oceansaway17]

4 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

My experience with CVS is that once test results are in I got an Text with a link where you can access and print your results from.   They are available for  5 days.    For longer period they recommend savings on phone or you can access it in your dashboard on Minute Clinic (CVS).

good to know

I will do in two weeks CVS at 9am and have Walgreens 3-4 hours later.  If I get a text from CVS, I will cancel Walgreens.

I would say it is so much easier now to get appointments and tests. I still make appts for both in case and cancel as needed.

 

toodles

[mafig]

I sometimes have a problem printing from text.  I wonder if they would email me (if I plead and beg them).  They did email my appointment confirmation.

[mafig]

50 minutes ago, Oceansaway17 said:

good to know

I will do in two weeks CVS at 9am and have Walgreens 3-4 hours later.  If I get a text from CVS, I will cancel Walgreens.

I would say it is so much easier now to get appointments and tests. I still make appts for both in case and cancel as needed.

 

toodles

 

OK, I was planning on doing the same.   Now what if your results from CVS comes back after you have taken Walgreens?  Will you get charged for one test ?  (i know your answer will probably be a guess, but I'm curious.)

[Jim_Iain]

2 hours ago, mafig said:

I sometimes have a problem printing from text.  I wonder if they would email me (if I plead and beg them).  They did email my appointment confirmation.

I think that they only send you a link via text.   You just click the link and it opens up in your web browser and then you just print from there.

 

They also have it available in your Minute Clinic online account and can print directly from there or just show it to them at the pier. 

[floralscent]

If I am understanding correctly, others have used the Rapid NAAT from a Walgreens drive thru for proof of a negative test for Celebrity. I was hoping to use this test as well but am concerned about the timing for my situation. 

 

We are flying out on Friday, 4/22 and boarding the Eclipse on Saturday, 4/23. If I am calculating correctly, we should be okay to test on Thursday, 4/21 and still be within the acceptable timeframe for boarding on the 23rd. 

 

Can someone confirm or tell me I am wrong with the testing timeframe above? 

Do I need to worry about testing time on Thursday as I don't know yet what time we are able to board?

 

It doesn't matter either way to me, but does anyone know if this is covered by insurance or what the cost out of pocket might be for the Walgreens Rapid NAAT?

 

Thank you so much!!!

[fliprcruiser]

13 minutes ago, floralscent said:

If I am understanding correctly, others have used the Rapid NAAT from a Walgreens drive thru for proof of a negative test for Celebrity. I was hoping to use this test as well but am concerned about the timing for my situation. 

 

We are flying out on Friday, 4/22 and boarding the Eclipse on Saturday, 4/23. If I am calculating correctly, we should be okay to test on Thursday, 4/21 and still be within the acceptable timeframe for boarding on the 23rd. 

 

Can someone confirm or tell me I am wrong with the testing timeframe above? 

Do I need to worry about testing time on Thursday as I don't know yet what time we are able to board?

 

It doesn't matter either way to me, but does anyone know if this is covered by insurance or what the cost out of pocket might be for the Walgreens Rapid NAAT?

 

Thank you so much!!!

You should be fine testing Thursday. Make sure you have results before leaving for airport.

 

My Walgreens results always come quick, others report some delays. YMMV

[Bodie1]

48 minutes ago, floralscent said:

If I am understanding correctly, others have used the Rapid NAAT from a Walgreens drive thru for proof of a negative test for Celebrity. I was hoping to use this test as well but am concerned about the timing for my situation. 

 

We are flying out on Friday, 4/22 and boarding the Eclipse on Saturday, 4/23. If I am calculating correctly, we should be okay to test on Thursday, 4/21 and still be within the acceptable timeframe for boarding on the 23rd. 

 

Can someone confirm or tell me I am wrong with the testing timeframe above? 

Do I need to worry about testing time on Thursday as I don't know yet what time we are able to board?

 

It doesn't matter either way to me, but does anyone know if this is covered by insurance or what the cost out of pocket might be for the Walgreens Rapid NAAT?

 

Thank you so much!!!

Canada’s testing requirements are at odds with Celebrity’s. PCR on 4/21 will meet both, but Antigen would have to be taken on 4/22 or 4/23. See below from Canada.

Cruise ships

Before boarding a cruise ship, you must take either:

• a COVID-19 molecular test within 72 hours of their scheduled boarding time, or 
• an antigen test taken no more than 1 day before the scheduled departure

[stooth]

Would love to know if anyone knows if th NAAT rapid tests from Walgreens is an ok test to have done.  Our local CVS cancelled our rapid tests for next Saturday!!  😬  On hold with Royal right now trying to figure out...Thanks

[Jeremiah1212]

11 minutes ago, stooth said:

Would love to know if anyone knows if th NAAT rapid tests from Walgreens is an ok test to have done.  Our local CVS cancelled our rapid tests for next Saturday!!  😬  On hold with Royal right now trying to figure out...Thanks

 

It's lined out right on the website:

 

https://www.celebritycruises.com/healthy-at-sea/faqs

 

 

[zook50]

I have outlined my experience with Walgreen's testing before on CC, in an attempt to help others considering the same thing.  In the end, we were very appreciative of being able to test at a drive up window at Walgreen's, yet we had some issues that I wanted to share with other people.  We are regular Celebrity cruisers, but our next ones are April, 2023 (delayed several times because of the pandemic).  We did a land/driving vacation from Canada to Texas in January/February instead, and returned to Canada this month.  We easily scheduled the Rapid PCR (NAAT) tests for five of us.  Four of us got our tests back promptly (me within a half hour and the others in an hour or two).  My husband didn't get his until the next afternoon (18/19 hours later), but only after we called the pharmacy, the labs, etc.  The pharmacy said half of the tests done that day "just didn't get processed before people went home".  We were fully aware that there was a 24 hour return window for results and that delays could occur.  The nurse at the drive-up window said this, but reassured that our results would most likely be available within the hour.  We had a back up plan and had a second set of tests booked at the last possible testing location before the Canadian border.  If we had had a flight to catch, we may not have made it. 

 

Second story - my brother just flew back to Canada from Arizona a couple days ago.  He also did the same Walgreen's test.  After his test, he was notified by email that the email notification system was "down", so he had to drive back (and his test was at a pharmacy a distance away) and get a paper copy of the test.  Luckily, he had access to a car and had enough time before his flight to go back to the pharmacy and get the paper copy for his trip.

 

I did share my experience on CC earlier, and a contributor felt I was negatively targeting Walgreen's for some reason.  I definitely wasn't (as I said, I was grateful, as a Canadian traveler, to be able to receive a free US test that I could use at the Canadian border).  In fact, I was just encouraging fellow travelers to be prepared, have a back up plan, and carefully consider the time and transportation access they have before flights, cruises, etc.

[DaKahuna]

On 3/25/2022 at 5:26 PM, mafig said:

I sometimes have a problem printing from text.  I wonder if they would email me (if I plead and beg them).  They did email my appointment confirmation.

Here is the rest results I received from WalGreens today.   

Clickin on the link (question mark symbol) took me to a web page where I entered my date of birth and when I entered it I was taken to a page with my results letter that I could save as a PDF file. I printed the pdf out and saved the file to my documents on my laptop. 

 

[jagoffee]

2 hours ago, DaKahuna said:

Here is the rest results I received from WalGreens today.   

Clickin on the link (question mark symbol) took me to a web page where I entered my date of birth and when I entered it I was taken to a page with my results letter that I could save as a PDF file. I printed the pdf out and saved the file to my documents on my laptop. 

 

Exactly the way the Walgreen’s test has successfully worked for us.  They call it an IDNOW test in our area.  We have used it about six times.  Love the fact that the lab equipment his in house.  We usually get results in an hour.  Once it took 3 hours.

[Laurab23]

9 hours ago, jagoffee said:

Exactly the way the Walgreen’s test has successfully worked for us.  They call it an IDNOW test in our area.  We have used it about six times.  Love the fact that the lab equipment his in house.  We usually get results in an hour.  Once it took 3 hours.

Walgreens does theirs inhouse? Do you know if that is all Walgreens? 

 

Laura

 

 

 

[floralscent]

Has anyone been charged for this Rapid NAAT test for Walgreens? If what is the cost?
 

My insurance says they won’t pay if they receive a bill because it is for travel. Just want to be prepared for charge and amount. Thank you!

[jagoffee]

56 minutes ago, Laurab23 said:

Walgreens does theirs inhouse? Do you know if that is all Walgreens? 

 

Laura

 

 

 

 

23 minutes ago, floralscent said:

Has anyone been charged for this Rapid NAAT test for Walgreens? If what is the cost?
 

My insurance says they won’t pay if they receive a bill because it is for travel. Just want to be prepared for charge and amount. Thank you!

Yes, the IDNOW Rapid NAAT test is analyzed in the pharmacy with equipment located in house.  That is the reason that it is so quick and reliable.  It is not a Rapid Antigen test.  The sample is collected at the drive up window.   It is a very easy process, but I have always needed to make an appointment.  

 

I am not 100% certain, but I think test charged to the Federal or State government.  I do not believe the reason for the test is relevant.  I have never paid anything and I am fairly certain you do not need insurance in the US.  I am on Medicare and the test costs never show up in any of my reports. 
 

 

 

Edited March 27, 2022 by jagoffee

[verizon]

I did a dummy appointment.

It didn't ask for insurance.I guess it is also good for foreigners

[RichYak]

Until very recently, the US has been funding covid tests for the uninsured. It would appear that CVS/Walgreens, in practice, hasn't bothered to ask for insurance info from customers and simply billed the government for the testing, treating them as uninsured. My guess is it was faster, easier, and more lucrative than billing insurance companies. Not surprisingly, a few days ago that government fund ran out of money and it's not clear if it will be replenished.

 

To that end, I would expect pop-up locations not funded by states to charge much higher prices or to cease operating. They likely don't have the infrastructure necessary to deal with insurance companies. I would also expect pharmacies to begin requiring insurance info, to start charging directly for the tests, or to simply get out of the testing business altogether.

 

More and more, it seems home proctored testing is the way to go.