American Airlines now offers access to at-home tests for purchase to travelers heading to any U.S. domestic destinations where testing is required. That is in addition to airport rapid testing options for certain Hawaii and international flights.
Starting Wednesday for travel Saturday onward American will offer $129 tests from LetsGetChecked. It’s recommended tests are ordered 5 days prior to travel, in order to receive them in time to take the test, return them, and receive results prior to travel.
U.S. states and localities with current testing requirements include Alaska; Connecticut; District of Columbia; Chicago; Hawaii; Maine; Maryland; Massachusetts; New Hampshire; New York; Pennsylvania; Puerto Rico; Rhode Island; Vermont.
Booking an American Airlines flight may now be the most convenient way to get Covid-19 testing at home whether you plan to travel or not (and current ticket purchases generally don’t incur change fees if you choose not to travel).
The FDA has now authorized a true at home test but bizarrely it requires a prescription. Testing is still too expensive, and too cumbersome, to be used effectively enough to allow for normal life and that’s largely because of rules surrounding its use.
Cheap daily testing, linked to an app, would let businesses serve only people who had tested negative that day and allow for indoor activities. A negative test isn’t an absolute guarantee the person testing doesn’t have the virus and cannot spread it, but if everyone were being tested rigorously everyday activities would be far safer. Delta Air Lines, for instance, announced plans last week for testing every employee every week to reduce virus spread especially by asymptomatic and presymptomatic individuals.
Anyone can get an at-home COVID test (that gets FedEx’d to a lab) via LabCorp’s Pixel.
It’s covered by insurance.
This is an affront to our freedom! Yet another example of how we’re going to become Venezuela! I have the freedom to not mask, not get tested, not vaccinate, and infect as many other people as I want! – Every trump supporter
Stu- stop joking around
I have been using the Pixel by LabCorp test, and there is no cost to the consumer. You can bill it to your health insurance or have them apply CARES Act funding to pay for your tests. On the back end, they have a doctor “ordering” the tests, smart 🙂 lol.
You will be asked some very simple multiple choice screening questions. You need to indicate in your answers some specific health related reason for testing. In other words, you want to get tested for some other reason than you want to galavant around the country for business or pleasure. If you “don’t pass” the screener, you can try it again better answering the questions.
https://www.pixel.labcorp.com/covid-19
Stu- changed my mind. Keep joking around
It takes two clicks (not in this article or the initial link posted here) to see the “48-hour turnaround time on average.” For some of the places on this list, the tests must be conducted within 72 hours of travel, so anything exceeding this average by too much serves minimal to no value for travel to those destinations. Just something to be aware of when choosing tests.
Cheers.
Venezuela? Actually, the way conservatives want to overturn the results of a valid election, demonstrates that the U.S. is in reality a country that merely pays lip service to the rule of law that is masquerading as a mature democracy.
I love that the FDA will only let you get a Corona test with a prescription. That pretty much tells you all you need to know about their lack of competence and self-interest in maintaining their authority. Classic.
Hawaii won’t accept test from LetsGetChecked…. the test provider has to be listed on the Hawaii state CoVId website. You should edit this article because it makes it sound like this test works for Hawaii.
@James – that’s not correct. American Airlines is a partner of Hawaii, and LetsGetChecked is American’s partner. Hawaii accepts it, even though LetsGetChecked is not on the Hawaii website.
@Gary,
I’d want to see a confirmation of that before I’d trust it. Hawaii is very strict on this and I read of a family (here, I believe :)) being turned away and sent home for not using someone on the list. Not doubting but still not trusting if Hawaii have not documented this.
Cheers.
The test in the picture is the same one Costco sells, from Azova. The key to getting the prescription in the online test order is to say it’s needed for travel. Note that the prescription is needed to return the test for processing, not to buy the test. I’m guessing part of the cost is related to having two overnight shipping costs.
I’ve been tested twice at a Walgreens and received the results by time I got home – free. I’ve been tested once at CVS and received the results about 60 hours later – free. I’ve been tested once by the county and received the results 6 days later – free. Why would I pay for this again?