Oh well. We made the best it it, and I have no complaints.
But I will be thrilled regardless since this will open the door for our summer travel plans.
It is better than PCR but I agree I am not as optimistic as I was earlier today.
I'm not sure antigen is much better than molecular, tbh -- from a travel logistics perspective. Free molecular tests aren't that hard to come by in the US -- we did Walgreen's last week and it was a breeze. The current molecular requirement also has the advantage of being valid 72 hours out. If you test positive, 72 hours is enough time to find backup accommodation (or cancel a hotel that you may have booked as a backup, which is what we did) and also enough time to cancel and/or rebook flights. Plus you have 72 hours to relax a little once you test negative! It seems possible (likely?) that a switch to antigen testing would also mean switching to a 24 hr or one calendar day timeline. That means worrying until the last minute that you might test positive, and really left scrambling if you do.
Antigen is so much cheaper tho that you could potentially take a test 3 days before to make sure you are covid free and then 24 hrs before for the travel. You would still be spending less than half $$
Walgreen's was free.... we didn't spend anything...
That's even better.
The turn around time on the PCRs is what freaks me out . So many reports of people not getting their results in time, paid or not. Timely moleculars are far from accessible. In the entire state of Maine, for example, Walgreens does not have the NAAT option so you are left to take a traditional PCR with a turn around time of 48 hrs and hope for the best. Even in Orlando, unless you have your own vehicle, getting a NAAT requires some hassle and research. I am still not sure if an Uber would take us through the drive through testing site and I’ve been looking into it for months. For $40 I can pack a switch health rapid antigen test with me and take it from my hotel room . I agree it’s not perfect, but it does make life easier and less costly for my family. To each their own though!
Yes there are free/cheap Antigen test options. The molecular - like the Walgreens rapid one would still be accepted if they made the change.
For sure, my comments are really specific to Orlando only, and based on how easy it is to get a free NAAT test (not PCR!) with a rental car in that area (I don't think there are too many reports of the Walgreens ID NOW tests coming back late? ours was 45 mins-2 hrs). When we checked into our Westjet flight at MCO on Sunday morning, there were women behind us who had gotten PCR tests at CVS on the Thursday afternoon before and their results hadn't come back in time. The gate agent told them he could get them a $$$$ rapid PCR test at MCO, but there was no guarantee that they would get results in time to board the flight. I felt so bad for them, and so grateful for all the information that folks have shared on this forum. I did do the Switch Health home antigen test before leaving for the US -- I didn't love the last minute timeline, but it's hard to beat the convenience of doing it from my dining room table (with Shoppers booked as a backup a few hours later in case the Switch test was inconclusive...overkill perhaps, but I am a planner!).
