Rapid PCR Tests at Airports
Covid-19 testing has become a part of travel now. If you are flying to a destination that requires proof of negative results for a Covid-19 test, then you have to get it done a few days in advance. Results from traditional PCR tests normally take 24 to 72 hours to come in.
Now a new rapid PCR test is being offered. This is a molecular test that is more accurate than the long-standing rapid antigen tests. It can potentially easy the process of planning and traveling to places like Hawaii or most foreign countries that do not accept antigen test results.
These new PCR tests, developed by the San Jose, Calif.-based diagnostics company Visby, offer results in less than hour. They are already available at the Tom Bradley International Terminal in Los Angeles Airport. They’re not cheap, at $199, but offer an option for those who might book a flight just a few days in advance. A broader rollout of rapid PCR tests is underway by XpresCheck, Travel Weekly reports.
XpresCheck deployed the rapid Accula PCR test of Massachusetts-based Thermo Fisher Scientific at New York JFK and Houston Bush this month. In addition, two XpresCheck locations each in Boston and Newark airports as well as XpresCheck locations in Denver, Phoenix, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle and at Washington Dulles and Washington Reagan will offer rapid PRC tests by May 1.
Rapid PCR are now also available at the Pittsburgh and Grand Rapid, Mich., airports via Georgia-based provider Tackl Health. Results are promised within 30 minutes.
More airports will be adding these rapid PCR tests in the future, as airlines hope that vaccines and easy testing will continue to boost travel, especially internationally. These tests currently cost between $200 and $300 in most locations, while traditional PCR tests are available for free for most people. Some airlines, such as American Airlines and Delta, have also taken steps on their own to ease travel to several European countries by providing ways to skip quarantine requirements.
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thanks for the update. Taking my first PCR test next month.$100 saliva + $60 if I go for the 24 hour turnaround over 36 hours.