COVID-19 Travel Testing

The Digital COVID Certificate is a convenient way to document your COVID risk status to your destination country: - Fully Vaccinated (evidence provided by the HSE Vaccination service) OR - Recovered from COVID (evidence of your Positive COVID PCR result from the HSE) OR - Recently tested Negative (PCR or Antigen result from a private medical provider) The DCC comes into use on July 19th in Ireland. Testing providers registered with the system can issue you a DCC with your COVID Negative evidence on it. Precision Health has applied be a registered testing provider for Antigen Tests. We will continue to issue non-DCC PCR results using our 20-minute PCR analyser but this is unlikely to be approved for DCC because the PCR DCC requires the analyser to be in an accredited lab rather than a medical clinic. If you know that you really need a PCR DCC, we will send your sample to our lab partner, who will process it and issue the DCC. This will take 24 hours, so please leave adequate time for processing.

Pick your appointment slot and pay online with instant confirmation. You will receive an online registration form by email which must be completed before attending. Our tester takes a nasal swab and processes it in approximately 20 minutes. You will receive your result via SMS and email (PDF). If you are travelling, we advise you print the PDF to bring with you. If you require a PCR or Antigen Digital COVID Certificate (from 19th July), please allow 24 hours for processing.

One of our analysers can only process a single sample at a time so it is suitable only for small volume work. The standard PCR analysers can process up to 90 samples concurrently so are better suited to processing large volumes.

The test is the same test as used by the HSE for detection of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19). It is called PCR (Polymerase Chain Reaction). Our test platform is the Cobas Liat Real-Time PCR Assay from Roche Diagnostics. Roche Diagnostics also produce the standard large-volume PCR analysers. It is CE-IVD approved (EU) and FDA EUA approved (US). The 20-minute test has been evaluated and found to have 100% agreement with the standard version of the Real-Time PCR test (a larger analyser than can process 90 samples at the same time).

The travel requirements into and out of Ireland and other EU countries specify that the COVID test should be a Real-Time PCR test, done within 72 hours of travel or an Antigen Test done within 48 hours. We recommend that you confirm this for your destination country before you make your travel arrangements.

The test is the same as the standard HSE test (Real-Time PCR). We recommend that you consider the result in combination with current and past symptoms and risk of exposure to COVID-19. Always ask your GP for advice if in doubt. A “detected” (positive) result means that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been found in your nose/throat. This may mean that you are actively infected or it may mean that you had COVID-19 infection in the recent past. A “not detected” (negative) result means that SARS-CoV-2 virus was not found in the sample. If you have no symptoms and low risk of exposure (eg. you are taking a travel test), this result is generally taken as “negative”. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and/or you have a high risk of exposure (eg you are a close contact) you may need a second test at a later date to confirm no infection. An “indeterminate” (invalid) result means a sampling or processing problem occurred and the analyser could not accurately determine “detected” or “not detected”. This happens infrequently for all tests (nasal swabs, blood tests, biopsies) and may be due to tester error or analyser problems. If this happens, we will call you back for retesting, at zero expense.

Our Antigen test platform is the SD Biosensor Lateral Flow Assay from Roche Diagnostics. It is on the list of officially-accepted antigen tests from the European Commission. https://ec.europa.eu/health/sites/default/files/preparedness_response/docs/covid-19_rat_common-list_en.pdf

Having a nasal swab is never comfortable. Our testers have been trained by Mr Stephen Kelly, an experienced Advanced Nurse Practitioner and qualified nurse trainer, to be safe and as gentle as possible. Is it important that we do get a sample from the required test area so that we (and you) can be confident that there is no SARS-CoV-2 there. If you have a history of heavy nose-bleeds or recent injury or surgery on your nose, we will help you decide whether it is safe to proceed with the test.

Yes

We will initially send you an SMS to confirm the result and let you know that the PDF version is available via email. Your PDF version will contain: Your name Your address You date of birth Your passport number Test date Test type (Real-Time PCR or Antigen) Test result (“Not Detected”, “Detected”, “Indeterminate”) Clinic Information We advise you print the results PDF out AND keep a copy on your mobile phone for passage through the airport.

Call our office on +35319104024. Our nurses are usualy busy with COVID-19 testing or Occupational Health activities but we will try our best to fit you in with a 20-minute test.

Every coutry has different restrictions and guidelines are coninuing to change. DFA.ie andReOpenEU are two useful website to find accure infomation regarding travel guidelines. We also share updates on our Instagram and Facebook pages.

The passenger Locator Form must be completed online before travelling. You can access the Passenger Locator Form here.

Yes, those who have recovered from COVID can travel if they tested positive for the virus in the previous 90 days and has completed isolation requirements.

This form can be used to request a certificate (also known as a certificate of recovery) proving that you have recovered from COVID during the last six months. If you had a positive COVID test (RT-PCR or 'NAAT') more than 11 days ago, you can request a certificate of recovery.