International Arrivals Day 2 & Day 8 PCR Tests

Frequently Asked Questions

Please read our frequently asked questions for helpful information. Always follow Government advice for travel (www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice). Please get in touch using our live chat or using the button below.

• add What do I need to do in order to travel to the UK?

  For all international arrivals into the UK who are fully vaccinated will need to take a covid-19 test on or before day 2 upon arrival and will not need to quarantine.

  All international arrivals into the UK who are not fully vaccinated will need to quarantine for 10 days on arrival and take covid-19 tests on or before day 2 and on or after day 8.

  Before an individual who isn’t fully vaccinated travels to the UK, they must:

  Take a coronavirus (COVID-19) test and get a negative result during the 3 days before you travel

  Book and Pay for a travel test package, which will include COVID-19 tests to be taken on or before day 2 and on or after day 8 of the quarantine period

  Complete a passenger locator form with details of where they will home quarantine on arrival and the travel test package booking reference number

  For more information and guidance please visit: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-quarantine-when-you-arrive-in-england

• add How long will it take my sample kit to arrive?

  Monday to Friday For bookings received before 3pm, the sample packs will be sent out same day, for next day delivery Saturday For bookings received before 11am, sample packs will be sent out same day, for delivery on Monday. For bookings received after 11am on Saturday, and/or on Sunday, sample packs will be sent out on Monday, for delivery on Tuesday. If your requirement is urgent, alternative fast track delivery options can be arranged for an additional fee, including private courier. Please call Agilis Customer Service on 01592 269570 or email: help@agilishealth.co.uk for more information

• add Fit to Fly

  Many governments and airlines require that a test for COVID-19 be taken prior to travelling. The rules differ by government and airline and some accept antigen tests, some only accept PCR tests and there is little consistency as to the timeline requirement for the test result, but typically it is 48-72 hours prior to travel. Please check specific requirements prior to booking the Fit to Fly test.

• add What are the different types of COVID-19 tests?

  There are two main types of test: Antigen Test: this tests for the presence of a virus in a sample. There are ranges of tests in this category from 'gold standard' tests that are done by an accredited lab to more of screening solutions that require little to no equipment and are able to provide results in 8-30 minutes Antibody Tests: this tests whether someone has developed antibodies and had the virus previously.

• add What does an antibody test involve?

  There are two different types of Antibody tests: 1) Lab based Antibody test- a test kit is used to gather blood from a patient which is then tested in the lab. These are usually referred to as ELISA tests. They are extremely accurate and able to let you know if you had the virus and developed antibodies as a result of this. 2) Blood prick tests- these test kits can be used by trained professional to determine at point of care whether you had the virus. A small blood prick is taken and used in a cartridge to do the diagnostic.

• add Can you test people at my workplace?

  Yes, we provide a number of solutions from regular lab based testing to developing regular screening programmes. In the first instance we propose designing and agreeing clinical governance approach to workplace testing and then we provide a solution to support this.

• add Covid-19 Mutation

  Current mutation of SARS Cov-2: D614G SARS COV-2 Mutated position by SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphism) Nucleotide change at 23,403 base of RNA from adenosine (A) to guanine (G) Mutated at D614 on the Spike Protein (SP) enhancing the binding affinity to ACE2 receptor no mutation on the nucleocapid protein (NP) of Sars Cov-2 In summary this has no impact on our ability to successfully detect covid-19

• add Where is the clinic?

  Typically Agilis operates a home service. Our service includes a video call with one of our nurses that is able to guide you through the sample collection process. As such we are able to offer our service nationwide.

• add Further Guidance for Test to Release

  Please note that if you are travelling to the UK from a country on the red list, then you are not eligible to opt into the Test to Release scheme. You can see the red list on this link: Coronavirus (COVID-19): red list travel ban countries - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) From 4am on 9th January, should you be travelling to the UK from Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Eswatini, Zambia, Malawi, Lesotho, Mozambique, Angola, Mauritius or Seychelles, then as per government advice you should self-isolate for 10 days upon entry to the UK and should not take a test to release test during this period. In addition, from 4am on 15th January, should you be travelling to the UK from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Cape Verde, Portugal (including Madeira and the Azores) and Panama, then as per government advice you should self-isolate for 10 days upon entry to the UK and should not take a test to release test during this period. As of 4am on 29th January, the same travel restrictions as above will apply for Burundi, UAE and Rwanda and anyone who has travelled from any of these countries should not participate in the test to release scheme.