Out of State Covid Testing

[savory]

Hi,

For the TG holiday, we plan to visit our DS family. His son's school requires a Covid test if there will be visitors to their home. We thought CVS would work for us but they only test residents of the state. We called the health department and that was confirmed

I have since tried Rite-Aid and Walgreen who are partnering with Verily an Alphabet Company executing Project Baseline. I can't tell from the online information if they will test out of state folks. And in the grand Google tradition, there is no one to speak to.

The other option we are putting in the mix is to get testing at the nearest Kaiser facility, our health care provider, which is hours away by car, or get Kaiser to give us permission to visit a local facility.

Has anyone dealt with this issue? Any thoughts for other approaches we should consider?

 

[pacergal]

Have not dealt with this. I would contact your PCP at Kaiser and see what they recommend. Can you get tested at home before you leave? How far in advance does the school require testing?
You are doing the right thing, my question is, how would the school know if families followed through with testing??

 

[f35phixer]

we just visited Mass. All they required was a test 72 hours prior to entering state. No one ever checked us when we got off plane or anywhere on ride to the Cape. We got one at our hospital, 20 minute wait for results. NEGATIVE ;-)

 

[savory]

Thanks for the feedback so far. We need to be tested following the flight. We have a call into Kaiser to see if we can get a test there. We just got the number and will follow-up soon. Perhaps we will be able to get on the Verily test or perhaps the self test will be available.

The school wants a copy of the report. If they do on know we were there, I guess it could be hidden But, this is important enough to play by the rules. I think the rules are a bit over the top but they are what they are.

 

[donheff]

What a dumb requirement. If you caught the virus on the plane a prompt test in the arrival location would return a false negative anyway. Take a test at home and tell the school you drove?

 

[pacergal]

Hmm. If the school is requiring it after you arrive, perhaps the student health center could do it or give you options on where to get it done? Maybe check with them or their website.

 

[savory]

I think we figured it out

Pixel by LabCorp offers a home testing kit. It's really a home sample kit. They mail you everything you need to take a sample. You express it back and (they say) within 48 hours, the results are available online.

Our calls to Kaiser suggest it will fall under our coverage. Otherwise, LabCorp is asking about $110 per test. A worthwhile price we may have to pay to be with family.

In the meantime, we will see if PA opens their testing program at CVS or other locations.

Thanks for all your suggestions!

 

[braumeister]

I didn't want to start a new thread and this seemed the closest.

Just read in the NYT about a remarkable testing development.

Finland has trained some very good dogs.

The country today began offering coronavirus tests for passengers at Helsinki’s airport, conducted by canine specialists that have been trained to sniff out SARS-CoV-2.

Travelers who take the voluntary test are asked to rub their necks with a wipe to collect sweat samples, and then leave the wipe in a box. A dog trainer puts the box behind a wall, along with cans that contain different scents. Researchers say the dogs can detect a coronavirus-infected person in 10 seconds, with a 94 percent success rate.

How can anyone not love dogs and their almost unbelievable olfactory capability?

 

[audreyh1]

Truly mind blowing!

Here is the article.