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Switch Health Covid test question for Canadians?


Bretco4

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  • Bretco4 changed the title to Canadians return home covid test
  • Bretco4 changed the title to Switch Health Covid test question for Canadians?

We have done the SH video call from home, not from a ship. Hubby and one daughter were selected for random testing back in November when we went to NYC. From our kitchen table at home and a laptop, it was quite easy and straightforward. Took less than 30mins for both of them. 
 

We have already bought the test kits (RAT) to use on board the ship to come home on March 20th. As long as wifi holds, I don’t imagine it will be much different. 

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25 minutes ago, Ferrier.Family said:

Sorry, can you please confirm which Proctored Antigen Covid Test will be acceptable for re-entry to Canada for Vaccinated Canadians after February 28?

We are hoping to return on March 13 from Orlando - pending a negative Covid test for re-entry. 😀

One that meets CBSA requirements, one that is authorized by the country in which it is purchased:

  • Travellers will now have the option of using a COVID-19 rapid antigen test result (taken the day prior to their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border or marine port of entry) or a molecular test result (taken no more than 72 hours before their scheduled flight or arrival at the land border or marine port of entry) to meet pre-entry requirements. Taking a rapid antigen test at home is not sufficient to meet the pre-entry requirement – it must be authorized by the country in which it was purchased and must be administered by a laboratory, healthcare entity or telehealth service.
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We will be boarding the Oasisof the Seas tomorrow and will be doing the RT-LAMP molecular test on a sea delay prior to disembarkation. We also brought the RAT tests with us but I think we are going to do the molecular tests to give us piece of mind before getting off ship. I can advise how it worked once we do the tests (in 6 days). I am, however, concerned that our Switch Health tests will not be accepted for boarding. I scheduled antigen tests at port just in case as I’m seeing a lot of contradictory information. Will try to use the switch Health result first to see if they work. Stay tuned….

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6 hours ago, CdnAngie said:

We will be boarding the Oasisof the Seas tomorrow and will be doing the RT-LAMP molecular test on a sea delay prior to disembarkation. We also brought the RAT tests with us but I think we are going to do the molecular tests to give us piece of mind before getting off ship. I can advise how it worked once we do the tests (in 6 days). I am, however, concerned that our Switch Health tests will not be accepted for boarding. I scheduled antigen tests at port just in case as I’m seeing a lot of contradictory information. Will try to use the switch Health result first to see if they work. Stay tuned….

 

6 hours ago, CdnAngie said:

We will be boarding the Oasisof the Seas tomorrow and will be doing the RT-LAMP molecular test on a sea delay prior to disembarkation. We also brought the RAT tests with us but I think we are going to do the molecular tests to give us piece of mind before getting off ship. I can advise how it worked once we do the tests (in 6 days). I am, however, concerned that our Switch Health tests will not be accepted for boarding. I scheduled antigen tests at port just in case as I’m seeing a lot of contradictory information. Will try to use the switch Health result first to see if they work. Stay tuned….

Will be Great to know how it turns out for you. We will be using RAT from Switch Health to disembark day prior. 
We have Shoppers Antigen Test to board but would love to hear how your boarding process works out. 

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we are using shoppers drug mart for our testing before we leave Canada to drive to New Jersey for our upcoming cruise.  I too am wondering about using switch health tests for coming back to Canada.  I called them and they said they are authorized and will recognized at the border for our return trip home.  But I also seen some negative stuff on this site about SH not being authorized...this was before tomorrow's changes.  Does anyone know for sure that SH rapid telehealth tests will be acceptable for returning to Canada.  Also I am wondering if I should buy more that we need encase one of the samples is damaged etc.

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If anyone has any insight for returning cruises after Feb 28th....Wife and I will be flying into Fort Lauderdale from Toronto in May for Allure cruise, I am wondering what options there will be to get rapid tested at port / near port and the cost prior to flying home later that day? Any advice would be appreciated. 

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On 2/27/2022 at 7:08 AM, YellowBrickRoad said:

 

Will be Great to know how it turns out for you. We will be using RAT from Switch Health to disembark day prior. 
We have Shoppers Antigen Test to board but would love to hear how your boarding process works out. 

I am happy to confirm that Royal Caribbean accepted our SH test results without hesitation. It was looked at twice during the boarding process and all they looked for was result, name, date. In my panic of not knowing, a fellow passenger gave me a couple of the E-Med test so we did those in our hotel prior to leaving for port so I had those for backup. I had also booked tests at the port just in case, both of which we cancelled on the drive over. My concern now is the testing to return home. The entire test must be done a day before return or we can use the RT-LAMP ones up to 72 hours before. These tests are accepted for re-entry, contradictory to a post above. Even our travel agent uses them when she returns to Canada. 

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14 hours ago, GunnerGuy said:

If anyone has any insight for returning cruises after Feb 28th....Wife and I will be flying into Fort Lauderdale from Toronto in May for Allure cruise, I am wondering what options there will be to get rapid tested at port / near port and the cost prior to flying home later that day? Any advice would be appreciated. 

The RAT test at the port can be booked thru customer service while on the ship (or you can do it if you have internet package). It is $105 USD though so very expensive dive. I brought the SH Antigen and the SH RT-LAMP test with us. I had bought the molecular tests prior to Canada changing their protocols so may just use them. I also brought some home tests we can use on ship for random testing. We came prepared. I can update once off the ship to let you know the process.

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On 2/21/2022 at 9:07 PM, Ferrier.Family said:

Sorry, can you please confirm which Proctored Antigen Covid Test will be acceptable for re-entry to Canada for Vaccinated Canadians after February 28?

We are hoping to return on March 13 from Orlando - pending a negative Covid test for re-entry. 😀

The Switch Health Rapid Antigen Test kit (for 2 people) will be the one you will want to bring with you. It has 2 tests in the kit and it is authorized for use by Health Canada. It’s super easy to use and you get your results in 15 min.

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18 hours ago, MacTac said:

we are using shoppers drug mart for our testing before we leave Canada to drive to New Jersey for our upcoming cruise.  I too am wondering about using switch health tests for coming back to Canada.  I called them and they said they are authorized and will recognized at the border for our return trip home.  But I also seen some negative stuff on this site about SH not being authorized...this was before tomorrow's changes.  Does anyone know for sure that SH rapid telehealth tests will be acceptable for returning to Canada.  Also I am wondering if I should buy more that we need encase one of the samples is damaged etc.

I am currently on Oasis of the Seas. We will be using the Switch Health RAT test to return home on Sunday. This test is accepted and is authorized by Health Canada. If I heave any issue with CBSA I will report back. As for how many tests to bring, it definitely wouldn’t hurt to have an extra set in case of damage etc. We have testing options at the Port and at airport but if you are driving, I would suggest an extra set. 

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14 hours ago, GunnerGuy said:

If anyone has any insight for returning cruises after Feb 28th....Wife and I will be flying into Fort Lauderdale from Toronto in May for Allure cruise, I am wondering what options there will be to get rapid tested at port / near port and the cost prior to flying home later that day? Any advice would be appreciated. 

We used the Switch Health test to board the Oasis yesterday. Worked without hesitation. We will be using the Switch Health test again on last day for our flights home as well.

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2 hours ago, CdnAngie said:

I am happy to confirm that Royal Caribbean accepted our SH test results without hesitation. It was looked at twice during the boarding process and all they looked for was result, name, date. In my panic of not knowing, a fellow passenger gave me a couple of the E-Med test so we did those in our hotel prior to leaving for port so I had those for backup. I had also booked tests at the port just in case, both of which we cancelled on the drive over. My concern now is the testing to return home. The entire test must be done a day before return or we can use the RT-LAMP ones up to 72 hours before. These tests are accepted for re-entry, contradictory to a post above. Even our travel agent uses them when she returns to Canada. 

 

2 hours ago, CdnAngie said:

We used the Switch Health test to board the Oasis yesterday. Worked without hesitation. We will be using the Switch Health test again on last day for our flights home as well.

 

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12 hours ago, CdnAngie said:

The RAT test at the port can be booked thru customer service while on the ship (or you can do it if you have internet package). It is $105 USD though so very expensive dive. I brought the SH Antigen and the SH RT-LAMP test with us. I had bought the molecular tests prior to Canada changing their protocols so may just use them. I also brought some home tests we can use on ship for random testing. We came prepared. I can update once off the ship to let you know the process.

Thanks for sharing, truly appreciated! Yeah Since SH tests cost the same as shoppers I might just stick with shoppers (it's works for our flight down later that day) but I might purchase the SH for the return trip...I assume you just have to book the proctored test the day before the end of cruise / fly back to Canada? 

 

As a backup I also found out Naomi health has a clinic at the FT Lauderdale airport and seems you can book the antigen test for $60 / per so might keep that in the back pocket if needed.

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On 2/28/2022 at 7:36 AM, CdnAngie said:

The Switch Health Rapid Antigen Test kit (for 2 people) will be the one you will want to bring with you. It has 2 tests in the kit and it is authorized for use by Health Canada. It’s super easy to use and you get your results in 15 min.

Sailing March 12-17.  I've seen the SH Rapid test kit (for 2) and was thinking of using on the ship the day prior disembarkation and flight home later that day to Canada.

Is that test requiring a cell phone for a FaceTime call with a Lab or Health facility? The new rules (in a post above) also clarifies the 1 day prior of flight home requirement,  can actually be the day of. Assuming I've read it correctly. Thanks for your insight on this topic and sharing your experience. Hope your enjoying your cruise!

 

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3 hours ago, GCaron said:

 

Sailing March 12-17.  I've seen the SH Rapid test kit (for 2) and was thinking of using on the ship the day prior disembarkation and flight home later that day to Canada.

Is that test requiring a cell phone for a FaceTime call with a Lab or Health facility? The new rules (in a post above) also clarifies the 1 day prior of flight home requirement,  can actually be the day of. Assuming I've read it correctly. Thanks for your insight on this topic and sharing your experience. Hope your enjoying your cruise!

 

Yes, you would need a cell phone to complete the test. Once you create an ASMO account, you register yourself and dependants. Once ready, u sign in the site and click on the options to connect with a telehealth rep. You have to call in each test. 

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We just completed the SH Antigen tests on Navigator on Sunday evening.  You need surf and stream to be able to do the video call.  Reception did cut out twice but we were able to get back in the que.  Overall it was a pretty easy set up and it was nice to be able to complete while in our cabin and not having to try to find somewhere to test when we left the ship.  You have to take a picture of your negative result and upload to your account and then results were within 30 minutes.   Look exactly the same as the results you receive via email if you test at a SH facility.  We will be using these again to disembark future cruises.  We loaded results to Air Canada's check in website without issue. While I can't speak to them being accepted to board, based on what was looked for this cruise and our one in January, I feel pretty confident they would be accepted.  Agents are really looking for date and the word negative.

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9 hours ago, recogneyes said:

We just completed the SH Antigen tests on Navigator on Sunday evening.  You need surf and stream to be able to do the video call.  Reception did cut out twice but we were able to get back in the que.  Overall it was a pretty easy set up and it was nice to be able to complete while in our cabin and not having to try to find somewhere to test when we left the ship.  You have to take a picture of your negative result and upload to your account and then results were within 30 minutes.   Look exactly the same as the results you receive via email if you test at a SH facility.  We will be using these again to disembark future cruises.  We loaded results to Air Canada's check in website without issue. While I can't speak to them being accepted to board, based on what was looked for this cruise and our one in January, I feel pretty confident they would be accepted.  Agents are really looking for date and the word negative.

Thank You for the great info! We received our SH kits in the mail a couple of days ago. I have set up the accounts for the three of us so we are ready when taking test the morning of leaving our cruise since we now know we can take day of with new guidelines ……much easier to be able to do in the room! 🙌🏼

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31 minutes ago, Marc Van Niekerk said:

Thanks everyone for the great information here!

Can you please tell me how long it took to receive your test kits once ordered and what shipping method was used?

For me, I ordered my 2 boxes (total of 4) test kits last Thursday…On Friday my shipment was on its way per email I received and it arrived on Monday. That was pretty quick! Regular shipping method, not rush. 

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6 hours ago, YellowBrickRoad said:

Thank You for the great info! We received our SH kits in the mail a couple of days ago. I have set up the accounts for the three of us so we are ready when taking test the morning of leaving our cruise since we now know we can take day of with new guidelines ……much easier to be able to do in the room! 🙌🏼

We would have done the same had the rules been clearer...which only made sense...but didn't want to take the chance.  With the new guidelines then taking them the morning you are leaving the ship means you don't have to interrupt your last night to take them.  Have a great time!

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4 hours ago, Marc Van Niekerk said:

Thanks everyone for the great information here!

Can you please tell me how long it took to receive your test kits once ordered and what shipping method was used?

We ordered on a Tuesday and got them the next day.  Ontario shipping address.  I think they ship from Toronto so it should be fast for you too Marc.

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On 2/28/2022 at 7:45 AM, CdnAngie said:

We used the Switch Health test to board the Oasis yesterday. Worked without hesitation. We will be using the Switch Health test again on last day for our flights home as well.

Did you have Voom Surf or Surf + Stream?  I’m hoping to save a few bucks and just get the Surf, but scared to risk getting disconnected. 

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