Testing There and Here

I’ve just returned to Austria from a month in the U.S. Still a bit jet-lagged, but relieved to be here. Some things in Europe are just a little more predictable. For example, COVID testing. Before leaving for the United States, I had to prove that I had tested negative for the Coronavirus. No problem. Austria has a comprehensive testing plan: 

Gurgeltests: You can get free “gargle tests” at the drug store and test yourself non-invasively at home. The program includes a video interface where you have to verify your identity (passport, driver’s license, etc) and film yourself for a minute while you swish saline solution around in your mouth and spit it into a test tube. The test tube is then repacked into the box it came in, and you take it to any of the 600+ drop-off stations throughout the city (grocery stores, drug stores, gas stations). Within 24 hours the test is evaluated, and the results are sent to your e-mail or cell phone, with a certificate you can download and/or print out. This PCR test is good for 72 hours and can be used for international travel and other situations in which a negative COVID test must be produced. Everyone is encouraged to perform this test 2-3 times a week to reveal non-symptomatic cases of COVID. 

Teststraßen: “Testing streets” (so-called because of their linear testing process) have been set up throughout Austria. This service is also free, but you have to register for an appointment on the internet. Same-day registration is possible. You have to prove your identity and registration upon check-in, and then simply follow the signs to different stations. These sites offer nasal swab antigen tests, and the results are available in 15 minutes. The antigen test is valid for less time and cannot be used for travel. But if you want to go to a party or visit an elderly relative, this test provides evidence that you have tested negative for COVID. If the test is positive, you will be tested with a PCR test at the same site. 

Testing at schools: Students and teachers in elementary, middle and high schools are tested 2-3 times a week at their institution. These are less invasive versions of a nasal swab test with results in 15 minutes. If you are unfamiliar with this kind of test, it uses the same technology as a pregnancy test: one line negative, two lines positive, with test results within 15 minutes. 

You can also be tested at your doctor’s office or at some pharmacies, shopping centers, and airports. 

NOTE: Most of these tests are FREE – those at the airport for entry into the country cost €69 as of August 22, 2021. 

After my arrival in the U.S., I had been advised to have myself tested to make sure I hadn’t caught something en route. I made an appointment online with our family pharmacy and was told the cost would be $90 (!) -- which was better than the hospital’s offer of $120 (!!). Later the pharmacy called to cancel the appointment because they were having problems getting test kits delivered. Instead they sold me a personal test kit, the less invasive nasal swab antigen test with two tests. I tested negative, thank heavens, and was free to roam about the country. 

 But I thought I needed a PCR test to return to Austria, and that’s where I ran into problems in the U.S. All sorts of testing opportunities were listed online for my area, but most of this information was outdated. Either they no longer offered tests, or the phone number was no longer in service; the tests were only for people with U.S. health insurance, or for students at the university; they offered only antigen tests or the results were available within 3-5 days (for travel purposes, PCR tests are only good for three days which makes this option absolutely useless). Luckily, I reviewed the travel conditions and discovered I needed either a negative PCR test OR proof of vaccination (which I had). I did not have to prove a negative COVID test or vaccination before getting on a U.S. domestic flight, or before getting on an international flight. I only had to sign an affidavit that I had not experienced any symptoms of COVID in the last 10 days and would wear a mask in airports and on the airplanes. 

This morning I realized I would be visiting with relatives who are elderly and/or immunosuppressed, and I hadn’t been tested since returning from the U.S. I got on my phone at 9:35, signed up for an appointment at the nearest Teststraße for 10:15, walked to my appointment, got my test (negative!) and was home by 10:45. And I didn’t pay a cent! 

I could wax here philosophic on the relative merits of universal health care or the importance of testing to control the spread of the virus or the double-standard of requiring a negative COVID test for entry into the U.S. but not for travel within the country or even the advantages of being vaccinated. But I’ll let the reader draw his or her own conclusions, while I enjoy a lovely afternoon with family and friends.