COVID before travel

[Edna Cloud]

So, I have tested positive for COVID and am isolating at home in the UK. I haven't reported my positive test (yet) to any official site. Is there any benefit to reporting the result? Do I need to keep sending results every day? I was just thinking that I would stay at home until I felt better, however, we are due to fly to the US and join a cruise in about a month. Will this infection cause me any problems?

 

[nancipants]

It won’t cause problems, but you can only get a 90 day recovery letter if you have an official test result.

 

[SirDuff]

Please report it - it’s they only we’ll get even, sort of, accurate picture of what is happening (said as an epidemiologist whose work is related to COVID-19 and keeps getting asked if various health services related issues are correlated to a country’s/area’s COVID-19 burden and knows that our current estimate of burden are crap for most countries).

 

[Geomom]

If you have an official positive test (paper/email test results from a proctored or in person test), and you get a signed recovery letter from a nurse/doctor stating you are clear to travel (containing your date of birth and name/address/phone number of the health practice) then you can submit those 2 documents to safe passage for the 90 day recovery option. You won't have to test for Covid before getting on the cruise ship.

 

[Edna Cloud]

If you have an official positive test (paper/email test results from a proctored or in person test), and you get a signed recovery letter from a nurse/doctor stating you are clear to travel (containing your date of birth and name/address/phone number of the health practice) then you can submit those 2 documents to safe passage for the 90 day recovery option. You won't have to test for Covid before getting on the cruise ship.

Now that they've stopped doing PCR tests, I'm not sure how to get an "official positive test"; we just assume an at-home unsupervised lateral flow test is accurate. I don't think we can get signed recovery letters, but happy to be wrong on that one.

 

[anricat]

Now that they've stopped doing PCR tests, I'm not sure how to get an "official positive test"; we just assume an at-home unsupervised lateral flow test is accurate. I don't think we can get signed recovery letters, but happy to be wrong on that one.

You would need to go to an official testing site and get a proctored test result. Likely it will be PCR or NAAT.

Then, once you're recovered, you can see a doctor and have them attest that you are covered and write a letter. You upload that to Safe Passage and you are clear to sail without a test.

 

[Clarkson U]

So, I have tested positive for COVID and am isolating at home in the UK. I haven't reported my positive test (yet) to any official site. Is there any benefit to reporting the result? Do I need to keep sending results every day? I was just thinking that I would stay at home until I felt better, however, we are due to fly to the US and join a cruise in about a month. Will this infection cause me any problems?

I will admit I don't know much about how the UK is handling COVID. However, if you can get an "official" result showing that you had covid and then you can get a 90 day recovery letter you will be exempt from Covid testing to board the ship based on the current rules in place. Also, depending on your age and medical condition you may qualify for anti-viral treatments.

I think it would be appropriate to get yourself officially tested and get an official result. I don't think you need to call any airline or DCL today at all but maybe your local doctors etc.

 

[Clarkson U]

Now that they've stopped doing PCR tests, I'm not sure how to get an "official positive test"; we just assume an at-home unsupervised lateral flow test is accurate. I don't think we can get signed recovery letters, but happy to be wrong on that one.

Your health care provider or an online service can give you a recovery letter (if that exists in the UK). These letters exist in the USA because of the US CDC. I don't know if NHS recognizes similar to CDC the same idea/concept. Good luck. Again - probably best to reach out to your local doctor or urgent care for an official test and to ask more questions. Or if you used a travel agent, I would ask your travel agent.

 

[Edna Cloud]

Thanks for trying to help; much appreciated. I think it is just different in the UK. There is no official testing any more here and your doctor is not available for such things (unless you are clinically vulnerable). As far as I know, there is no govt or health service route to official testing or recovery letters. What might be possible, is a private testing organisation that you pay for a test, but normally you would only test just before travel. This would involve testing now and then in say 10 days; still not sure how to convert that into a recovery letter though...

 

[ssgtravel]

You can use a home test for COVID and have it proctored on line by OnPoint or other service. They are not very expensive and will provide the "official" documentation of the positive results. Then you can get the official letter of recovery from another online service.

 

[holula]

If your LFT has a QR code on it then you should be able to report this on the NHS website. I did one a few weeks ago and have an email that says I had COVID. It has my full name and dob which is all that’s asked for.

The NHS doesn’t do recovery letters but you can get a private letter. Treat Local was the cheapest I found at £39.

I don’t know if Prenetics or Safe Passage will accept the NHS test but I’m going to try it. Alternatively while you are still testing positive for COVID you could do a ‘fit to fly’ test with someone like Randox or DocHQ and get a positive test result letter that way.

 

[lanejudy]

There is no official testing any more here and your doctor is not available for such things (unless you are clinically vulnerable). As far as I know, there is no govt or health service route to official testing or recovery letters.

It does not need to be “official” or government-sponsored. The positive test simply needs to be documented in writing so it can be uploaded to SafePassage (or Prenetics). Yes, this most likely means you will need to pay for it. Same with the recovery letter — no negative test required, just use an online service after your symptoms end, maybe about 10 days after your first positive. And again you likely will need to pay.

If you don’t do the 90-day recovery, you will need to pay for a pre-cruise test. So you are paying out-of-pocket one way or the other.

 

[soniam]

I hope you are feeling OK and recover fully and quickly.

 

[Edna Cloud]

I hope you are feeling OK and recover fully and quickly.

Thank you for your kind thoughts; been feeling really rough, but today started to feel slightly more human. So tired though...

 

[soniam]

Thank you for your kind thoughts; been feeling really rough, but today started to feel slightly more human. So tired though...

The fatigue can be rough. It should be clearing up quicker now though.