Covid tests for travel... where

[Myakka17]

Curious to know where you would go to get tested for travelling to sone countries? IecCyorus as of 1st Aug grading the UK as a cat b country which means We can travel there as long as we have had a Covid test result as negative within 72 hours prior.
It doesn’t look like you can attend the drive thru testing stations so where would you get tested.

Thanks

[Disney_time]

I'll post a link to this article which is helpful, but in reality (because we are in the same boat as you, needing one) I just don't see that these options will help us as they are reliant on the post.

I wish we could just get one here in Glasgow. We would pay the going rate but it just doesn't seem to be available at all. You are correct in saying that the NHS test won't do. The Cayman Islands where we are trying to go need a signed letter, whereas I believe the NHS result is a text, anyway I think NHS tests are for people with symptoms.

I'll watch the thread with interest in case other Dibbers have better info.

turningleftforless/h...travel-abroad/

[Colette-S]

I know bupa were advertising them for £65 but don’t know the details. We have a couple of local private clinics doing them

[PoohBears#1fan]

We do private antigen tests at work, I believe they’re £150 but may be wrong, I do the tests, I’m not involved in payments.

Try calling your local private hospitals and/or medical insurance companies.

[joanna23]

There’s pure health which are doing them for UAE. They’re around £130 and have clinics in a number of places.

[Myakka17]

Thank you, I don’t require at the moment though potentially will in Jan fir UAE.

I was curious because I felt the Gov link that was supplied off the FCO page was pretty useless.

[Disney_time]

Originally Posted by joanna23

There’s pure health which are doing them for UAE. They’re around £130 and have clinics in a number of places.

See more...

Have you any links you can share please? I can only find pure health clinics in UK which are for alernative & complementary healthcare. I can't find any info on their website about covid testing.

The Bupa test is for antibodies and I think the "fit for travel" test will need to be a PCR test which is to detect current infection.

[joanna23]

Originally Posted by Disney_time

Have you any links you can share please? I can only find pure health clinics in UK which are for alernative & complementary healthcare. I can't find any info on their website about covid testing.

The Bupa test is for antibodies and I think the "fit for travel" test will need to be a PCR test which is to detect current infection.

See more...

screening.purehealth.ae/application

[sky13]

Just to add - even for PCR tests there are a huge number of variants from different manufacturers with different gene targets and gene probes and sample types etc - this results in different performance characteristics between different PCR tests.

So before paying out any money for a PCR test it might be worth just checking that that particular PCR test being done will be accepted by whatever place is requiring it. (Though it is also a possibility that the place requiring it may not even realise that there are different PCR tests with different performance characteristics...)

[Myakka17]

Originally Posted by sky13

Just to add - even for PCR tests there are a huge number of variants from different manufacturers with different gene targets and gene probes and sample types etc - this results in different performance characteristics between different PCR tests.

So before paying out any money for a PCR test it might be worth just checking that that particular PCR test being done will be accepted by whatever place is requiring it. (Though it is also a possibility that the place requiring it may not even realise that there are different PCR tests with different performance characteristics...)

See more...

It’s a minefield. I am an Independent Travel Agent so preparing myself for these questions.
I’m hoping come Jan the UAE will no longer be asking for it.