Joining forces with the healthcare company Switch Health, Air Canada launched a portable COVID-19 test kit that international travellers can pack along with their belongings to be used upon their re-entry to the country. Named the COVID-19 RT-LAMP Kit, Air Canada announced that the testing kit was given the green light by the Canadian federal government and has passed all necessary testing requirements.
The idea for the testing kit was realized when the federal government of Canada required all international travellers to present a negative COVID-19 test, specifically taken within 72-hours of arrival in the country. It aimed to eliminate the need to look for a qualified and accredited testing site for COVID-19 in a different country before a traveller returns to Canada.
While the testing kit requires minimal supervision from a telehealth worker, an individual using one won’t need to go to a laboratory anymore to process the results since a device designed to analyze them already comes in the package. Remarkably, the results are ready in less than an hour, immediately incorporated into an Air Canada electronic report.
Air Canada’s senior vice president of products marketing and e-commerce, Mark Nasr, shared that the COVID-19 RT-LAMP Kit is one of the innovations the company is introducing to “make travelling abroad easier and more predictable.” He added that “Air Canada is a leader in adopting and implementing science-based safety measures to simplify our customers’ journey.”
Designed to be used with the COVID-19 RT-LAMP Kit is a self-administered antigen test kit also produced with the help of Switch Health. Air Canada assured that the said antigen test kit is accepted by several countries across the globe, such as the United States.
Although the COVID-19 RT-LAMP Kits and antigen test kits are only currently available to Aeroplan Members, travellers can get their hands on the same by signing up for Air Canada’s free loyalty program. The molecular RT-LAMP kits are priced at $149 each, and the two-pack antigen testing kits are sold at $79.
