Covid PCR Test Results in 72 Hours - Successes and Failures

I have tickets for Sept 12th but I have been delaying booking a place to stay because I don’t see how I will be able to meet the 72 hour requirement. All the clinics I have called have said results are taking 4-7 days or longer. If the test is done in the hospital they can turn it around quicker but you need to be showing symptoms which I hope not to.

Could anyone who has been able to get a PCR test done and results back within 72 hours of departure please let us know how they accomplished it? Please include your city if you are comfortable sharing that (I am near Boston).

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Brent--home test kits are not acceptable for SXM. Perhaps some other places might accept them, but not SXM.

I see an opportunity being missed. I wish the Covid 19 rapid tests were performed in major airports. I couldn't get the rapid test, and they told me our regular Covid 19 tests could get results in 2-3 days. But I had a test less than a month ago and it was 4 days. Even more maddening is at first they told me I could get the rapid test due to travel, but then changed their mind.

Wish the government would give a 4 day window instead of a 3 day window for test and result captured in that time. But heck, they are trying to limit how many people are coming in -- this is one way to do that.

XspresSpa operates in airports was originally a manicure/pedicure place. They are transitioning to offering Covid-19 test. They are doing airport personnel and I believe starting this month they will start allowing travelers to be tested. They are starting with JFK, but they are unsure how many other locations they will build out.

Check out Passport Health although they are in Rhode Island and I am not sure if that is far away from you but it may be worth it for the piece of mind knowing you have the correct test.
It seems they will know exactly what is required. Not sure on costs and if personal insurance will cover any or all of the costs.
It also seems that arrivals to SXM can arrive without proper documents and results and have test taken there for $125.00 and "quarantine" until results come in. Seems results are the next day.
The bad point of that is if you do test positive you have wasted your vacation.
We are probably not going at the end of August for a scheduled two weeks because of the difficulties and things that just could gone wrong.
It really is hard to not go even if only traveling on the Dutch side.
Don't bother looking at any SXM pictures as that just makes it harder.

Who know what will be going on by September.
If we did go we would be leaving to go home on September 12th.

Need any more bad news.
The Flyers rocked the Bruins.

Hoping your trip can be successful.

Most airlines are not going to let you travel to SXM without any test results, so you'll never make it to SXM to get tested there. The people who were retested were done so because they did not have the correct test.

Unfortunately it looks like Passport Health has closed down for now. I called both Boston and RI offices and was told The same thing. No mention of doing Covid testing on their website.

Scuba I sent you a PM about my experience with getting a test.

Keep checking around. We are now booked for the first 10 days of October, after 3 cancellations. I found a place in Bradenton, Florida that charges $100 for the PCR test and gets you the results in 30 minutes.

Please share where in Bradenton to get tested

Urgent Care on State Road 70 across from Publix near Lakewood Ranch Blvd. You need an appointment. Phone #941-243-3088.

Your talking about the The Center for Urgent Care, correct? Just beware, according to their website they offer 2 types of tests, Sofia® Antigen (FIA) Test & Cellex™ Antibody Serology Test. Neither of these test are an RT-PCR test that is required for entry to St. Maarten.

From the St. Maarten Entry Website

We live in the Northeast. Two friends recently received PCR tests for Covid-19. Results for one came back in 7 days; results for the other came back in 5 days.

Thanks We live in Bradenton

Can you share where you found this test please

Check previous post by freedomfighter. Lakewood Ranch Urgent Care. State Road 70. phone #941-243-3088

Their website indicates it is not a valid test for St. Maarten.

Look at the post by wilsonck--Here is a link to the website. Link

It does not look like to me, that this test will work for travel to SXM.

wilson--you and I were posting at the same time.

They actually have 270 over all the US. But not everyone offers Covid-19 testing or some only offer antibody testing. You have to look at the page for each clinic to determine what type of testing is available. However, this is a good start for people trying to locate clinics for testing. Website is www.passporthealthusa.com

Yup....here are the testing sites for MA with types and requirements ...similar for other states

MA testing sites link

I contacted our closest Passport Health location, and they responded that test results take 2-5 days, with the typical being 3-4. Of course, there's no guarantee of timing of the results.

Okay, I have not looked at their website yet, but I was given this info by a friend who had covid. I was in a two hour long business meeting with him on a Wednesday. On Friday, he started feeling bad, and lost his senses of taste and smell. Based on that he got tested and the results were positive. He called me to warn me to self isolate, which I did. Nine days later, he had fully recovered, but wanted to get retested before returning to work. He told me that for $100, he got retested at this Urgent Care location in Bradenton, and received negative results in 30 minutes. I took his word for this. I will have to call them myself. If it was an antibody test, taken right after recovery, the test would have obviously come back positive, not negative.

The official stance now is, if you arrive with the wrong test, they will test you for $125 and tell you to quarantine in your lodging for 24 hours until you get the result

More than likely the finger prick test with results that fast.
Unless things change within the next two weeks, we are bagging our two weeks in SXM and going to maine.
Passport Health says in 15 minutes you can get covid results to get into Maine, but not acceptable for SXM. Test is $79.00
Just seems to difficult to get results for SXM and is it worth it health wise to take a chance on the flight

At your quarantine expense too.

I am in Raleigh and I'm flying to Paris...I need the same covid test that's needed for SXM...does anyone know where I can go in my area to get the results in time? has anyone in the Raleigh area had the test for SXM and gotten the results in time? I've called all over, thanks

How can SXM get the results in 24 hours and we in the US cannot?

Maybe number of daily tests is less?

Cathy and Danny,
To the best of my knowledge, the 24-hour test requires different reagants than the PCR test that is most commonly used. Countries with national leadership able to organize testing on a rational basis are better prepared than countries without national coordination -- especially coordination in providing needed testing supplies to all areas.

At some point we have all joked about "island time", but when it comes to covid testing, they seem far ahead of us in the USA!

That's not really it. It's a matter of they can get the test results done within the period of time because they have less tests to run. And, as was stated in the paper, today, SXM is using that as a way to control how many people come in.

freedomfighter--did you find someplace where you could actually get the right test?

I live just outside Toronto, in Ontario, Canada. I had to get the Covid test yesterday, on advice from my doctor, as I had some sketchy symptoms and I'm 70 years old. I was told I would get the results in 3 to 5 days. If I tested positive I would get a call from the health department. If I have heard nothing after 5 days, I can check my results online. If you needed a printed copy of your results, you had to have a very good reason for asking. Travel did not appear to be a good enough reason.

I felt very sorry for the lady and 2 small children in front of me who wanted to fly to Lebanon on Friday and needed written test results by then. The nurse and the doctor at the test site told her over and over there was no way she would get them.

Anyone thinking of going to SXM from this area might want to take note.

However, it does appear that test results are available faster under other circumstances. My sister had minor surgery last week. On Monday, I drove her to the hospital so she could be tested pre-op. She had the test at 1:00 p.m. Monday and got the results on her cel phone at 1:00 a.m. Tuesday morning. Priorities, I guess.

For people in Northern Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC, and Baltimore search for Arcpoint Labs. Saw a post where someone posted a copy of their results and it did not have EUA message on it and it was an RT-PCR rest. They paid extra to get the test expedited, so they were available next day.

Interesting info wilsonck. I did some checking on ARCpoint labs website, and though they are not in my area I looked into their Covid testing. They do offer the PCR test, and according to their site information ,while their tests have not been approved by the FDA , ALL of their tests have been granted an EUA by the FDA. According to your info, they don’t print this info on the lab report and that may just be good enough. I’m starting to doubt that any test performed in the USA is available without the EUA, but some labs just don’t put it on the report. Fwiw, my tests lab work was done by Bioreference labs. The statement about the EUA appears on the bottom of the lab report.

From reading this thread, all I can say is that it is very sad that people have to pay money out of their pocket to be tested. In Canada and most of Europe the testing is free. I really feel that it should not matter what reason you are taking the test. The end goal should be to determine the spread of this virus and who might be an asymptomatic or an active carrier.

Regular testing is free in the US. If you need testing for quick turnaround for travel, that is where you might have to pay. I can tell you testing is not free in Europe for Travel. Here is an example where it costs 150 Euros to get testing done for travel in Europe with quick turnaround. I have also seen in Amsterdam where they will test you at the airport and you have to pay 185 Euros per test. Others have posted in this thread that in Canada they could not get a covid-19 test for travel.

At what point does a test result become worthless? The standard seems to be 72 hours, which is what the SXM entry requirement is, and what many States in the US are requiring. In response to the ever-growing list of destinations which are requiring a 72-hour COVID test, RI is providing a central testing site for those residents who need a test for travel. Hopefully that is an idea which gets traction in more places.

USVI requires testing within FIVE days prior to travel for US residents arriving from states with +10% infection rate average. Both numbers are are the high end

Croatia is one of a few countries in Europe that will allow Americans to come in. All visitors are required to have an RT-PCR test from within 48 hours. They just reduced the time allowed from 72 hours.

Hi Carol, YES!!! Found a place in Bradenton. Passport Health, phone #941-462-4338 offers a PCR test through Active Medical that gets you results within 36-48 hours. It isn't covered by Health Insurance, and costs $229 per person, but it will allow us to meet the requirements. Wont help unless the French side opens the border though.

OK, best wishes, freedomfighter.

The requirement that rt-PCR tests not have an EUA seems to have mysteriously disappeared. I just walked through the entire SXMENTRY website, and did not see it. Did I miss something, or have the entry requirements changed again?

Whether in my favor or not, "moving targets" do not inspire confidence.

You are correct, as reported in the Daily Herald this morning. But apparently they have still been enforcing it.. Supposedly the last update was August 10, so perhaps it was removed yesterday. And 'moving targets' inspire confidence in NO one.

Correct. This is not how you safely instill confidence in those wanting and willing to visit. They really need to get it together in many ways.

Thank you for some sanity in this simple event made WAAAAAY too complicted

Yep, what should be relatively simple and straight forward got all mucked up by the government. Sadly, the ones to suffer the most are the local WORKING (or wishing they were working) island residents

We are probably going to cancel our trip as we are scheduled to fly on Saturday, November 28th at 5:30 AM. However, November 26th is Thanksgiving and we can't find a place to get the PCR test on the 27th and also get the results the same day to complete the SXM form. We are also trying to schedule a test late on the 25th and pick up the results on the 27th and then complete the form. Anyway seems complicated and depends on finding a lab that will do it.

Have you checked with ARCpoint Labs in Wilmington, NC? Phone number is 910-762-1223.

So true.

Thanks Wilsonck we will give them a try.

For those needing to get tested in the Bradenton/Sarasota area, I found a place in Parrish today. Prime Health Urgent Care 8927 US 301 Suite 210 Parrish, Fl. 941-845-4621. I just hung up from talking to them. They take most insurances. I also found a place in Tampa 24/7 Labs. They charge $189 and don't take insurance. Both appear to be great options and made me feel like my November trip might actually be able to be taken.
I also want to thank this forum for getting me started of where to look. I was hitting dead ends everywhere and it must have been a sign that there were actually people on this forum looking for places in my area.

popeye--Hope you are able to take you trip. Thanks for posting.

Thank you. Still not real confident that it can happen. I'm afraid that by then SXM will be shut back down completely.

Southshore,
I had my 2nd negative test yesterday (aug 13) at Trillium Hospital, Hurontario & Queensway. "Living with a flight attendant who has to do flights to USA" was my excuse for needing a re-test.
At 11AM I was in a line outside for 30 minutes but under tents to shade from the 29C heat. Once inside it was 10 minutes from processing my health card to walking out after the nasal swab. Although, like the first test a few weeks ago, the nurse said it could be 3-5 days, I had the results this Am (Aug 14) online when I woke up....less than 24 hours turnaround.

Below is all that gets posted on the govt site....I did not see anything on their webpage that would generate an "official govt approved certificate but I think you can show the authorities your online results.
Tested on:
13-Aug-2020 (Reported: 14-Aug-2020)
Trillium Health Centre - Mississauga
Negative
Your results were negative for the COVID-19 virus
If you were self-isolating for 14 days prior to being tested, continue to do this for the remainder of the 14-day period
If not, continue to self-monitor for the remainder of the 14-day period. If your symptoms worsen, take the self-assessment
After that, follow the guidelines for physical distancing
Healthcare or essential workers
– talk to your Occupational Health team for return to work policies.

" your symptoms worsen, take the self-assessment
After that, follow the guidelines for physical distancing"
I would think this would be a red flag upon presenting a result with this wording at arrival at PJIA. Indicates you had prior symptoms and need quarantine.

...and there is nothing stating the type of test performed

You need to upload a copy of your test results to complete the health questionnaire, so just showing authorities your online results would not count. Also, your test results do not state what type of test was performed, so it would not pass for that reason as well.

Well this is one way to do it. 🤦‍♂️

“We met people from Jersey who didn't get their PCR tests back in time, so they photoshopped their PCR test. They said they got right through at the airport.”

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTop...eport_8_8_8_15-St_Martin_St_Maarten.html

Nice. Remind me not to be around those people.
Cheers!