😷 COVID - Covid Tests to take a flight

[starla.986]

I posted in another thread, but thought I’d share here in case it’s helpful for anyone (I was quite discouraged yesterday when I was spending hours calling different hospitals looking for a test appointment). Tzu Chi Buddhist hospital in Taipei has appointments online, I got one for the week after next. It looks like now they have appts for June 9th and later.
Far Eastern hospital in Taipei also has appointments available online, and they open 13 days in advance so you have to check quickly before it fills up.

Taipei Veteran’s hospital in Shipai also has online appointment system and you can book 13 days in advance. The system updates the new date at midnight, so you have to be really quick. I got an appointment for June 7 at 12:30 AM this morning and by the time I woke up at 7, the entire day was full.

TMUH also accepts appointments, but you can’t make one online, you have to call their emergency department, and I had no luck with that yesterday, it kept hanging up on me.

Hope that can help someone. Veteran’s hospital has both rapid testing and normal testing. The regular test with results the next day is 5500 NT, I think the rapid is 7000.

[Taiwan_for_Life]

@Baobab

You don’t have any guarantees anyway. They could cancel a flight a day before or even the day of. It’s the risk you have to take if you want to get out

The other risk is not being able to get the vaccine on the other side. Thinking of flying to San Fran, stay a month and get both Pfizer shots. California is theoretically offering jabs to non residents but who knows if the situation on the ground reflects this (especially for non U.S. citizens)

[starla.986]

@Taiwan_for_Life

The other risk is not being able to get the vaccine on the other side. Thinking of flying to San Fran, stay a month and get both Pfizer shots. California is theoretically offering jabs to non residents but who knows if the situation on the ground reflects this

I’m pretty sure it does. My mom got both vaccines in a state she is not a resident of, she said they didn’t ask for any identification. Some states, like Washington, do ask for proof of residency but they explicitly say that citizenship or immigration status doesn’t matter. I think there are lots of vaccines, I don’t think it is a problem.

[lostinasia]

@starla.986

I’d share here in case it’s helpful for anyone

Thanks, that’s all good info.

Partly it makes me relieved I won’t even have a chance to get on a plane for another six weeks or so: it sounds like a chaotic nightmare right now. Partly it forces me further into the dawning realization that “Nope, I’m not getting to Canada this year, either.”

[Taiwan_for_Life]

Seeing how most people on this thread must be thinking about a flight, a couple of supplementary questions.

1. Is it safe to take a few bottles of 75% alcohol on the plane or too flammable?

2. Where can one buy a face shield?

[lostinasia]

@Taiwan_for_Life

Seeing how most people on this thread must be thinking about a flight,

I have ZERO objection to people with the means and reasons to head elsewhere doing so! People should do what’s best for them! But, I gotta say … user name just a wee bit ironic right now.

(I’ve gotta be the third or fourth person making that joke by now, but scrolling back to check is a pain, so, eh.)

[Taiwan_for_Life]

@lostinasia

But, I gotta say … user name just a wee bit ironic right now.

Why is my username ironic? I’ve been here nearly 25 years. In fact one could say that it is precisely because I want to stay here for life that I am going to get the vaccine or thinking about it. One more vaccinated person will be good for Taiwan, won’t it?

Regardless, my username was not chosen because I ever thought or wanted to stay here for life. I don’t! It was because I have a tendency to forget usernames, passwords etc and on another English football forum my username is “insert football team for life”. Hence, I just kept the same pattern so that my simple brain would have a better chance of remembering.

Now football teams are indeed for life (if you know anything about English football!)

So all in all, maybe best not to make these kind of remarks as you just have no way of knowing why people choose their usernames!

[lostinasia]

@Taiwan_for_Life

So all in all, maybe best not to make these kind of remarks as you just have no way of knowing why people choose their usernames!

As I said before, absolutely zero critique intended: I am passing zero judgement on people heading elsewhere, nor would I have any right to anyway. People can and should do what’s right for them. I simply found the contrast amusing. Apologies for the offense.

[Taiwan_for_Life]

@lostinasia

As I said before, absolutely zero critique intended: I am passing zero judgement on people heading elsewhere, nor would I have any right to anyway. People can and should do what’s right for them. I simply found the contrast amusing. Apologies for the offense.

No offense- I was actually going to ask whether you really are lost in asia?? Haha …

No worries- everything is cool…

[lostinasia]

@Taiwan_for_Life

I was actually going to ask whether you really are lost in asia?? Haha …

Yeah I was trying to think of an analogy with my name but failed, I’m afraid!

Oh and I have a whole string of user names based on lostin—-, so I get that.

[Baobab]

I am in the US right now. Left last week. There is so much vaccine here it’s crazy. Got my first Pfizer jab within hours of landing at SFO. They’re playing radio ads basically begging the people who still haven’t been vaxxed to do so, and there are now even contests to try to encourage vaccination.

Yes, I’m a US citizen but the information about eligibility is crystal clear.

Vaccines

Do I need to be a California resident to get COVID-19 vaccine?

No. Vaccine distribution is based on eligibility irrespective of residency or immigration status.

If you have a way to get into the US I am far more confident (99.9999999999999% certain) you can easily get a jab than I am hopeful the situation in TW is going to get better quickly.

[tarvi]

@shaokilai

Completed a PCR test yesterday at Far Eastern - the website still has reservation availability - price was about $8000

How long did it get for you to get the test done? Was there a long wait beyond your booked time slot?
I have an appointment booked for 0800-0830 time slot and I am wondering if I should expect it to take much longer. I plan to go there at 0730 to hopefully beat some of the queue.

[Rafd]

We tested earlier at Tainan Kuo General hospital (but I believe this the last week that they offer testing). No complaints. The test is slightly more annoying than it was in US: higher up in the nose.

[mtnsrivers]

I got my PCR test at Shuangho Hospital （雙和醫院）. The testing process took about 1.5 hrs. Most of it was just waiting in line.

The outdoor testing site is right by the entrance to the Emergency Department（急診大門）. To reach it, turn left from the main entrance (where all the taxis are), turn right alongside the building, and then go straight. You should see a line or at least a group of hospital workers outside the Emergency Department entrance. See this map for more info.

I arrived at 8:30 am and was 21st in line. That day there were about 50 people total. I think they will accept anyone who is standing in line before 10 am.

Around 9 am someone will give you a sticker that indicates your position in line. They will also check your forms and ID and give you another form which you need to fill out.

Sometime later, someone else will come around and collect your documents and IDs. You will need proof of travel, your passport and any ARC IDs, photocopies of those IDs, and the self-expense COVID testing application form.

After a while they will return your IDs to you. When you reach the main entrance, you will be called into a tent area to another line. Once your name is called, you go into the testing room where they take a nasal swab. They give you a receipt afterwards.

You then take that receipt to the cashier inside the Emergency Department and pay 7000 TWD. As is common in Taiwan, my foreign credit card did not work so I paid cash.
After paying they will give you another receipt. Keep this to pick up your test results later.

You can pickup your test results at the main cashier inside the main hospital building. This is to the right from the main entrance.

You can only pick up your results after 7:00 pm. I went at 6:59 pm and they would not give me my results, so I waited a minute, took another ticket, and went back to the cashier. You will need to give them your passport and the receipt.

[Baobab]

Sounds like they improved the process. Was quite bad (everyone crowded inside to fill out forms with no social distancing) when I did it.

[mtnsrivers]

Well, there is still no social distancing but at least it’s all outside for the most part. There is also no shade, so I imagine on a sunnier and hotter day it would be pretty brutal.

[ThaiJuan]

@Taiwan_for_Life

What would be the correct order. Book flight, then take test or take test then book flight?

If the test is only valid for three days and the flight gets cancelled, that would be a waste of a lot of money.

You have to show your flight info to get the test, though as closely as they looked at mine it probably could have just as well been a take out menu.

[curiousteacher]

Were you given the test because you need it to fly soon? I think some hospitals will only give those tests if you need it to fly soon.
Did they give you results in both English and Chinese?
I wonder if what they are giving would satisfy an airline for what is needed for an international flight.

[mtnsrivers]

Yes, I was eligible for the test because I have an international flight soon.

I received two certificates: the test certificate and the lab certificate. The test certificate has English, Chinese, and Japanese while the lab certificate is in English and Chinese (mostly just English).

These certificates should satisfy what is needed, at least for flights to the US. They are definitely more official looking than the test certificate I got in the US before coming here.

[curiousteacher]

“PCR” test?