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How long does it take to get pcr covid test results for travel
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Even as other countries, including Israel and Canada , have lifted pre-departure COVID testing for inbound airline passengers, the United States shows no sign of relaxing its own requirement.
This, in spite of over travel industry and business organizations calling for the end to the pre-departure testing requirement for vaccinated travelers entering the United States. In a May 5 letter , the groups pointed to the stronger immunity against the coronavirus provided by vaccinations, boosters and prior infections, as well as effective treatments that reduce the risk of severe illness.
The United States implemented pre-departure testing for incoming international flights in January In response to the rapid spread of the Omicron variant, in December the CDC reduced this window to one day. Experts say that, to some extent, pre-departure testing has reduced the number of infected people flying into the United States — and the number of people exposed to an infected person on an airplane.
However, one study found that a mandatory PCR COVID test taken within 72 hours of departure weeded out the majority of people with a coronavirus infection. Out of almost 10, people who took a pre-flight test, only five tested positive on a subsequent rapid test before or after their flight, researchers found.
Edwards, PhD , a professor in the public health program and chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at University of California, Irvine. Many coronavirus variants first identified in other countries — including Beta, Delta and Omicron — eventually made it to the United States. These could have been carried there by international airline passengers. But they could have also been carried by people entering the United States by land or sea.
Although people driving across a U. Other airline passegers have used fraudulent COVID test results or tried to bribe airport officials to let them through without a negative test result — with some people getting caught and facing fines or jail time.
Many countries have dropped the pre-flight testing requirement for vaccinated travelers — or all travelers, including the unvaccinated — leaving the United States the large exception. For Americans traveling internationally, a positive COVID test before returning home can result in thousands of dollars in additional costs for extending hotel stays and rebooking flights. While travel insurance and booking flights with a cancellation option can help blunt those costs , travelers may find themselves dealing with different rules for each carrier or hotel.
Even people returning to the United States who decide to shift gears and drive across the border to avoid the pre-flight testing can face extra travel costs. In addition, depending on where you are traveling, finding a place to get a COVID test within the one-day pre-flight window could be challenging, especially as other countries relax their pandemic restrictions.
As travel groups point out, the COVID situation has also shifted since pre-departure testing was implemented in January More Americans are vaccinated, which offers strong protection against severe illness and some protection against long COVID.
However, many people are not up to date with their boosters. We also now have effective treatments for COVID — such as antivirals Paxlovid and molnupiravir — which can reduce the risk that someone with a coronavirus infection will become severely ill. In addition, airplanes have systems that frequently filter the air using high-efficiency filters, said Dr.
Smith said many experts, including herself, argue that policies to reduce the spread of COVID are still important. She points to the short- and long-term health problems and missed school and work that occurs with coronavirus infection. Eventually, though, the United States will drop its pre-departure testing requirement for returning international travelers. When that happens, people can still take steps to prevent the spread of the coronavirus and new variants.
Even without a pre-flight test requirement, people can still choose to test before they fly, whether internationally or domestically. If you do test positive and can afford to delay your departure, isolating where you are can help protect others from the virus. If postponing travel is not an option, then it becomes even more important to wear a mask during the trip, physical distance as much as possible, and isolate as soon as you get home.
Some patients who have taken Pfizer Inc. Any of the three vaccines authorized in the U. It appears the latest wave of COVID is starting to peak, although it's difficult to measure due to the number of at-home tests that aren't reported.
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Getty Images. How effective has pre-departure testing been? Can pre-departure testing stop all virus? Why are travel groups pushing for end to U. Is pre-flight testing still useful at this point?
Read this next. Medically reviewed by Joseph Vinetz, MD. Written by Kris Gunnars, BSc.
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