Is Walgreens discontinuing rapid NAAT test?

[Knights on the Beach]

2 hours ago, Homosassa said:

Plenty available here at Walgreens for Monday, 5/23.

 

No testing is done here at Walgreens o the weekend (change made back in February)  and it has always been three days before for appointment scheduling.

 

In Florida (at least in Central and East Florida) we were able to book 7 days out for the last two or three months. Prior to that it was only 3 days.

 

 

[Caps_Shield]

Just looked in the Chicago burbs by me and nothing after 5/23.  Also, CVS has no free tests anymore here.  They are charging.  WOW!

[CrusinCyndi]

We are sailing in August. Wonder if we are going to have problems with Walgreens or CVS.  Got me worried now.  I live in the Chicagoland area.

 

[Joe817]

Just now, CrusinCyndi said:

We are sailing in August. Wonder if we are going to have problems with Walgreens or CVS.  Got me worried now.  I live in the Chicagoland area.

 

We have the same concerns, but we are sailing Sept. 24. 

[Eli_6]

I can't recall if we go to CVS or Walgreens (although, I am 95 percent sure it is Walgreens), but we have never had to pay anything for either the regular or the rapid NAAT test. We do have insurance, but they never even asked us for our insurance cards and our insurance sucks. I am also in Texas.  My understanding was that the government picked up the tab when you tested at a location like this. 

[Eli_6]

Also, on the Walgreens website, you can only book a few days out. I know because I marked on my calendar to book my test for our upcoming cruise and that was the case before when we scheduled a test. 

[ledges1]

Tested at Walgreens today for Sunday's cruise. The site I test at in AL is only booking through the 23rd. I will ck tomorrow and see if they are booking through the 24th. They may only be booking a few days out because the demand has fallen. It you think you have Covid, why go to Walgreens go to a Doctor. Travel may be one of the few reasons to go to Walgreens.

[Flipchild32]

When I went at the end of April the nurse practitioner said they weren't going to be doing many more as Funding as decreased from the government as well as demand. They would still do the testing through insurance if you met criteria. 

[Ilovesailaway]

less testing = lower numbers = less restrictions 

hopefully

 

I know this will more difficult for those that need to show a negative result now/soon but hopefully this is a step toward getting rid of that requirement.

[Old Fart Cruisers]

47 minutes ago, Ilovesailaway said:

less testing = lower numbers = less restrictions 

hopefully

 

Less testing actually means much higher numbers.  The positivity rate is the percent of positive tests out of the total number of tests reported.  So if you are eliminating the high number of negative tests required to be taken by healthy people to fulfill travel requirements and only symptomatic people are testing, the positivity rate will go way up.  This does NOT indicate a higher number of positive cases, but a higher percentage of the total tests taken.

[Ilovesailaway]

2 minutes ago, Old Fart Cruisers said:

Less testing actually means much higher numbers.

Tbh I don't know if the powers that be are using higher rates or the total number of positive tests in decision making. If its the total number of positive tests then yes please on less testing.

I know in NYC you can't walk 100' in Manhattan without bumping into a free test site.

I have heard so many ppl talk about how often they are testing. They have no symptoms but they are getting tested all the time. It's like they want to be able to say they are positive to get well wishes on social media or something.

Like I said Idk if this will help but it seems logical to me if we test less we will see lower numbers and hopefully changes in policy will follow.

[pinklucky61]

I wish they would just go to doing temperature checks, then testing anyone showing a fever.  Although to be honest, here in Florida, temps sometimes have to be done multiple times due to outside temps.

[Drazil65]

We tested today at Walgreens here in NC for our cruise, free and I asked if they were stopping tests as of the 23rd (this is what the appointment calendar shows  as available) and they said they are going to 3 days out for appointments.  

 

FYI, test was done for 3 of us within a total of 4 mins (they checked our ID and handed us a test swab with our names on envelope), had results in less than hour.  We were booked 15 mins apart but they took all three of us in car at same time.  

Edited May 20, 2022 by Drazil65

[ledges1]

11 minutes ago, Drazil65 said:

We tested today at Walgreens here in NC for our cruise, free and I asked if they were stopping tests as of the 23rd (this is what the appointment calendar shows  as available) and they said they are going to 3 days out for appointments.  

 

FYI, test was done for 3 of us within a total of 4 mins (they checked our ID and handed us a test swab with our names on envelope), had results in less than hour.  We were booked 15 mins apart but they took all three of us in car at same time.  

Similar experience in AL today. Had two appointments, 9:30 and 9:45. Results in less than 1 hour. On the Glory Sunday.

[ninjacat123]

This is all making me feel more calm.  Thank you for posting!

[ninjacat123]

1 hour ago, Drazil65 said:

We tested today at Walgreens here in NC for our cruise, free and I asked if they were stopping tests as of the 23rd (this is what the appointment calendar shows  as available) and they said they are going to 3 days out for appointments.  

 

FYI, test was done for 3 of us within a total of 4 mins (they checked our ID and handed us a test swab with our names on envelope), had results in less than hour.  We were booked 15 mins apart but they took all three of us in car at same time.  

 

1 hour ago, ledges1 said:

Similar experience in AL today. Had two appointments, 9:30 and 9:45. Results in less than 1 hour. On the Glory Sunday.

Meant to attach this.  Oops.🙃

[Knights on the Beach]

5 hours ago, Eli_6 said:

Also, on the Walgreens website, you can only book a few days out. I know because I marked on my calendar to book my test for our upcoming cruise and that was the case before when we scheduled a test. 

 

This has always been the case with Walgreens.  We have our fifth cruise since August coming up next week and have used Walgreens every time. CVS used to allow booking about two weeks out, but Walgreens was only booking three days out. Then two or three months ago Walgreens was allowing bookings a week out and now it's back to just three days.

 

1 hour ago, Drazil65 said:

We tested today at Walgreens here in NC for our cruise, free and I asked if they were stopping tests as of the 23rd (this is what the appointment calendar shows  as available) and they said they are going to 3 days out for appointments.  

 

FYI, test was done for 3 of us within a total of 4 mins (they checked our ID and handed us a test swab with our names on envelope), had results in less than hour.  We were booked 15 mins apart but they took all three of us in car at same time.  

 

I love the process at Walgreens - they're so quick and efficient. 

[rj59]

My Walgreens in WA has plenty of availability for antigen, but they're only scheduling 3 days out now, versus a week or so before. I bought a 3-pack of home monitored tests from optum, just in case, or if I fly home from Canada or Europe. I just got my additional 8-pack of free government home tests, which have the same 7/20 expiration date as the last batch, but they make good peace--of-mind tests during and after a cruise, particularly if you are foolish like me and joined a HAL coastal cruise after it had gone through the Panama Canal and had covid cases and mandatory masking. 

[Moonarino]

Last week Walgreens was scheduling a week out in central NC, but now appointments for the NAAT and "Laboratory PCR" are only showing for the 22nd and 23rd (Sunday and Monday). Rapid Antigen doesn't seem to be available at all. Again, rapid NAAT is available but rapid antigen is not.

 

Edited May 21, 2022 by Moonarino

[Knights on the Beach]

9 hours ago, Moonarino said:

Last week Walgreens was scheduling a week out in central NC, but now appointments for the NAAT and "Laboratory PCR" are only showing for the 22nd and 23rd (Sunday and Monday). Rapid Antigen doesn't seem to be available at all. Again, rapid NAAT is available but rapid antigen is not.

 

 

From what I've seen, Walgreens usually has one or the other, not both.  In some areas, they have rapid NAAT and other areas have only the rapid antigen. I've never seen rapid antigen at Walgreens in Florida.

[ledges1]

Yesterday Walgreens in South Alabama was scheduling out to the 23rd. Today it has been bumped to the 24th. This seems to confirm the 3 day window that several on this site has stated for scheduling with Walgreens.

[UpstateCruizer]

On 5/19/2022 at 9:51 PM, ZoeyVictoria said:

Nothing after the 22nd in Florida.  Hoping they are just cutting back to three days available to schedule in advance instead of seven.  🤞

This is exactly what they are doing. They have not stopped the tests. 

[Hoosierpop]

They are definitely cutting back on stores that offer the rapid tests. The ones near me offer PCR but no longer do rapid tests. 

[arizdback]

On 5/19/2022 at 6:19 PM, Princess Ariel said:

Drat, mine is showing the same in AZ. No appointments after May 22. 
Looks like I better order the home proctored tests. 

CVS is still doing tests. Don't know if you are in Phoenix but they do testing in an old CVS at 43rd and Bethany. They have appointments 2 weeks out right now. Last time I went there it was free but don't know what it is now. We have 8 of us going next month so I'm just ordering the test kit too. Just too much of a hassle to get us all there on the same day.

[williamsk]

Hi, first time cruising since covid. Is the covid test free for travelers? Will rapid NAAT work for Carnival? Also confused a bit on timing of tests, we have a 4 yo traveling with us as well. Can anyone clarify it in plain English? Maybe we haven't received relevant documents yet?