Viking's COVID Measures are working--Important Read

[Azulann]

2 hours ago, philw1776 said:

I found pre-cruise PCR COVID test impossible in NH. Nobody cared Malta & Greek Isles 9 September.

On MVJ . It States  "Effective for departures beginning Sept23, through Oct 31, 2021, Viking will require all guest to take a COVID -PR test within 72 hours  prior to boarding their first outbound flight from their home country." I am sailing  Oct 12  from Malta.

Not a problem, did the same to  get to Bermuda in July.

[philw1776]

My solution...won't be cruising beginning Sept23, through Oct 31, 202!

[Jim Avery]

7 minutes ago, philw1776 said:

My solution...won't be cruising beginning Sept23, through Oct 31, 202!

I feel the same.  Where is the benefit for vaxxing?  Well, besides not getting very ill if at all but I am watching this closely.  We are booked December 4th out of LA for a r/t Hawaii.  We are driving to the port. I absolutely will not tolerate the hassle/expense/uselessness of a 72 hour pre test.  Can be tested at embarkation and every day onboard if that is what they still do but get tested then get on a flying petri dish?  What a waste of time and money.  

[Azulann]

1 hour ago, philw1776 said:

My solution...won't be cruising beginning Sept23, through Oct 31, 202!

I hope that the  COVID  surge will have  peaked and decreased by October 31, so this requirement will be  dropped.   

In the meantime, I am cruising in October, so be it.  

[hutch1994]

On 9/23/2021 at 8:00 PM, LindaS272 said:

And masking on the ship except in state room and when eating or drinking. Plus social distancing to the extent possible. I haven’t been on a ship yet this year but have been reading thousands of posts!

Might want to check the pictures that have been posted on other Viking facebook sites (not a lot of social distancing or mask wearing) while on board on on excursions.

[mc_reeve]

Does anyone know of positive test result on someone vaccinated with no symptoms is re-checked with another PCR assay to confirm the result before the person is taken off the ship? 

 

As the number of cases subsides and approaches a very very low incidence rate - as it appears is the case for Viking passengers - the chances of a positive being a false positive approaches 50% or even higher.  It's just the math of a testing a population in which the incidence of the disease is very low and is the same for every laboratory test.  Positives may be a very rare occurrence - but as the incidence of Covid becomes smaller and smaller among Viking cruise passengers, their continuous screening for Covid is more likely to turn up false positives than true positives.  They could reduce the chances of impacting someone's trip by re-checking all their positives from asymptomatic passengers.

[LindaS272]

15 minutes ago, mc_reeve said:

Does anyone know of positive test result on someone vaccinated with no symptoms is re-checked with another PCR assay to confirm the result before the person is taken off the ship? 

 

As the number of cases subsides and approaches a very very low incidence rate - as it appears is the case for Viking passengers - the chances of a positive being a false positive approaches 50% or even higher.  It's just the math of a testing a population in which the incidence of the disease is very low and is the same for every laboratory test.  Positives may be a very rare occurrence - but as the incidence of Covid becomes smaller and smaller among Viking cruise passengers, their continuous screening for Covid is more likely to turn up false positives than true positives.  They could reduce the chances of impacting someone's trip by re-checking all their positives from asymptomatic passengers.

You’ll have to ask Viking. And they aren’t necessarily in control of the outcome as countries step in (Iceland) and remove the pax. Note, as has been rehashed to oblivion elsewhere in these threads, that Viking’s policy is not to quarantine close contacts. Why? I suspect because if you’re masked, vaccinated, & test negative with a reliable PCR test you’re not a threat. But Iceland and Malta—as reported on these boards—think differently.

[fudgbug]

On 9/25/2021 at 9:26 AM, philw1776 said:

I found pre-cruise PCR COVID test impossible in NH. Nobody cared Malta & Greek Isles 9 September.

Go through the Viking website and Quest Diagnostics comes up.  We had our pre-cruise test done at Quest and that is where we were exposed to Covid....two women in the waiting room coughing and one removed her mask to blow her nose!

[fudgbug]

On 9/25/2021 at 2:42 PM, Jim Avery said:

I feel the same.  Where is the benefit for vaxxing?  Well, besides not getting very ill if at all but I am watching this closely.  We are booked December 4th out of LA for a r/t Hawaii.  We are driving to the port. I absolutely will not tolerate the hassle/expense/uselessness of a 72 hour pre test.  Can be tested at embarkation and every day onboard if that is what they still do but get tested then get on a flying petri dish?  What a waste of time and money.  

From someone who knows, the benefit is from not getting very ill.

[fudgbug]

2 hours ago, mc_reeve said:

Does anyone know of positive test result on someone vaccinated with no symptoms is re-checked with another PCR assay to confirm the result before the person is taken off the ship? 

 

As the number of cases subsides and approaches a very very low incidence rate - as it appears is the case for Viking passengers - the chances of a positive being a false positive approaches 50% or even higher.  It's just the math of a testing a population in which the incidence of the disease is very low and is the same for every laboratory test.  Positives may be a very rare occurrence - but as the incidence of Covid becomes smaller and smaller among Viking cruise passengers, their continuous screening for Covid is more likely to turn up false positives than true positives.  They could reduce the chances of impacting someone's trip by re-checking all their positives from asymptomatic passengers.

Yes, if someone is vaccinated and tests positive that sample is sent to another lab before the person is removed from the ship.  Testing is also done once the person is off the ship and put in to quarantine.  It happened to us.  Thankfully the vax works and we weren't very ill....headache, cough, congestion....

[philw1776]

2 hours ago, fudgbug said:

Go through the Viking website and Quest Diagnostics comes up.  We had our pre-cruise test done at Quest and that is where we were exposed to Covid....two women in the waiting room coughing and one removed her mask to blow her nose!

Saw it.
We used Quest but nobody else in waiting room.

[LindaS272]

3 hours ago, fudgbug said:

Yes, if someone is vaccinated and tests positive that sample is sent to another lab before the person is removed from the ship.  Testing is also done once the person is off the ship and put in to quarantine.  It happened to us.  Thankfully the vax works and we weren't very ill....headache, cough, congestion....

Hi fudgbug,

I’m curious about your experience with this. Have you posted on CC about it?

 

Sorry—I see you posted it in this thread! (Dementia is setting in!).

Edited October 3, 2021 by LindaS272

[mc_reeve]

4 hours ago, fudgbug said:

Yes, if someone is vaccinated and tests positive that sample is sent to another lab before the person is removed from the ship.  Testing is also done once the person is off the ship and put in to quarantine.  It happened to us.  Thankfully the vax works and we weren't very ill....headache, cough, congestion....

Thanks - that makes me feel better.  If I tested positive with or without symptoms and was a true positive based on a confirming test, then it’s my bad luck and either the country or Viking should be quarantining me one way or another.

[bbtondo]

15 hours ago, fudgbug said:

Go through the Viking website and Quest Diagnostics comes up.  We had our pre-cruise test done at Quest and that is where we were exposed to Covid....two women in the waiting room coughing and one removed her mask to blow her nose!

Thanks so much for this valuable advice! I will only do a drive up test now.

[MarkTapley]

2 hours ago, bbtondo said:

Thanks so much for this valuable advice! I will only do a drive up test now.

That’s what we did before our Iceland cruise on Sky.  We did the rapid test sampling in the CVS parking lot in Chicago suburbs.  Super easy and quick.  No one near us except the tech.

[Twitchly]

The rapid PCR tests offered in our area require sitting in a waiting room. Think I’ll trot out one of our wildly uncomfortable N95 masks for that visit. 

[fudgbug]

2 hours ago, Twitchly said:

The rapid PCR tests offered in our area require sitting in a waiting room. Think I’ll trot out one of our wildly uncomfortable N95 masks for that visit. 

Just a thought.  Perhaps you could wait outside and have them text you when to come in?

[Twitchly]

3 hours ago, fudgbug said:

Just a thought.  Perhaps you could wait outside and have them text you when to come in?

Worth a try!

[Moonlion]

On 10/4/2021 at 10:03 AM, MarkTapley said:

That’s what we did before our Iceland cruise on Sky.  We did the rapid test sampling in the CVS parking lot in Chicago suburbs.  Super easy and quick.  No one near us except the tech.

The CVS in our area (Rockville MD) offered drive-through rapid antigen or PCR testing.  Not even the tech was near us.  Did a self nasal swab with the tech monitoring behind plexiglass.  Got the PCR result in a day.  Super easy and our insurance covered the cost.  

[rbslos18]

I would only go into a medical setting such as an Urgent Care as a last resort, and if necessary with a quality N95 mask. I am with unmasked patients in hospital/healthcare settings every day. There are well known cases of staff wearing traditional blue masks who have gotten COVID.

 

When I Googled free PCR tests one came up under news that no one I knew had heard of. It is a state government collaboration between a lab and a university. It turned out to be 2 miles away. The state is paying the lab to give free PCR tests statewide. There is no form with questions to fill out. Be safe and best of luck!