“ I can do the nasopharyngeal swab instead, but it’s going to be unpleasant.” Said the doctor. It was like a Q-tip, just very… very long. “I know (I watched that on Youtube!), but I don’t have a choice.” I replied.
When we decided to move to Japan, it was in
the middle of the covid19 Pandemic. Rules and travel restrictions were changing
every week and we had no idea what to expect. We decided on a date in the
middle of Sept and planned our move while keeping an eye on Japans Ministry of
Foreign Affairs website for updates.
In mid-August Japan brought in the rule where foreign residents of Japan entering the country from Sept 1st have to take a PCR test within 72 hours of Departure time. Also they had a specific form which they requested the clinic to fill out with the test result. If the clinic cannot fill out the form then they need to include various specific details like your passport number, citizenship, date of birth, etc on the certificate they provide. When we read this new rule we immediately started our research into finding clinics that would do those for us in Vancouver, Canada.
We checked the BC Center for Disease controls website and found a list of private facilities that do Covid-19 Testing for travel purposes. In BC at the time testing was not covered under the Medical Services Plan (MSP) and all clinics did not provide testing for travel. Also only 5 clinics were offering the test. They quoted costs of around $215 to $325. Japan has specific swab and testing methods listed on the form that they want us to comply with. One is the nasopharyngeal swab and the other a Saliva Sample.
I wish they did, but as far as I know at that time no one did the Saliva test in Vancouver. I ended up calling all the clinics asking if they do the nasopharyngeal swab, the specific test methods and if they would fill out the form. Some did the specific tests if requested and some said no, also some did not agree to fill out the form that Japan requested. We finally decided on a clinic that would do everything we needed and booked a test with them.
Japan requires you to get tested within 72 hours of Departure time. All the clinics we called said the results would take 48 to 72 hours but most of the time they receive them within 48 hours. I booked the flight for Friday and my test on Wed. The clinic said I should expect my result on Friday morning but it’s not a guarantee. I usually don’t like this kind of uncertainty, but I didn’t have a choice.
I booked the test about 3 weeks in advance and the more I did research on the swab test, the more I got stressed. It was when I watched a Youtube video showing how the swab test was conducted that my stress went on to the next level. The person held a very long Q-tip (swab) and put it in a lady’s nose, in and in and in… I was shocked how deep a human’s nose was! You can type nasopharyngeal swab online and check it out, but if you are going to take the swab test, like my wife said, better not watch it.
Finally it was the day of the test. I went to the clinic and waited for my turn. The doctor calls me in and I mentioned that I need a nasopharyngeal swab and showed the form that Japan required to be filled out. The doctor said “We usually do a bi-nasal swab where we take a sample from both nostril and not so deep, I can do the nasopharyngeal swab instead, but it’s going to be unpleasant.” I said “I know (with a sad face), but I don’t have a choice”. The doctor then kindly showed me the swab and pointed out the length that would go into my nose to make sure I agree with the test method. But like I said, I did not have a choice so I said yes. The swab, is like a single ended Q-tip thinner and flexible but around twice as long or even a bit longer. The doctor told me to tilt my head back and then inserted the swab through my nose all the way to the back of my throat. At first I thought oh this isn’t bad but I was wrong, it kept going deeper and deeper. Eyes shut, teeth clenched I was trying to bear this very unusual feeling that I had never felt before. Discomfort or pain I’m not sure how to accurately describe it, but imagine you are in a swimming pool which has a lot of chlorine and you swallow some of the water in through your nose. The sensation of something tingling travelling to your brain or covering your entire head, it was something like that just more intense. They have to do the swab for 10 seconds which honestly felt like an eternity. When the swab was finally pulled out I opened my eyes and water dripped out from both eyes. I left the clinic with a mild headache and this weird feeling like I still have something stuck in my nose, but I was happy the hard part was done. All I had to do now was wait for the test result which they would send by email.
Come Friday we wake up early, do our last minute packing and get ready to give up our apartment keys and go to the airport. I keep checking my email every 10 mins but nothing. Soon we had to leave if we wanted to make it on time for the flight. We called the clinic and they said they hadn’t received the results yet but they were expecting them soon. The stress was building up. We decided to go to the airport and wait for the results. Unfortunately I didn’t receive my results on time and the check-in counter could not wait for us anymore and they closed the flight. Upset, disappointed and the nonstop thought in the back of my mind that “damn I have to do that test again”, we took the taxi back home. We requested our rental agents to let us back into our apartment and explained our situation. They were very helpful and let us back in.
Sitting in our empty
apartment with only our suitcases we got a grip on the situation and decided to
move forward. We postponed our flight to Monday, called the hotel and rebooked
it and called the taxi service and changed the date for the pickup. Thankfully
we had booked everything that allowed cancellations /changes. (I will talk about the hotel and taxi
bookings in specific detail in another topic/video)
I did the test again hoping this time I will receive it on time. Come Monday
morning and we start getting ready to leave for the airport and that’s when my
phone pings and there it was, the email with my result. The stress just
instantly vanished. More than being excited of our move to Japan the first
thought when I read the result was Thank God I don’t have to do the test a 3rd
time. We packed up, called the taxi and headed to the airport.
It is very important to make sure your test was conducted within 72 hours of departure time because at the check-in counter at the airport checked it very carefully to make sure that it was. Also at immigration in Japan the officer checked my test result documents 3 times to make sure that everything complied with their requirements.
Things are still new when it comes to testing for travel and different countries have different testing requirements. But I hope things get better once travel begins to resume again.
I hope this post was helpful to you and I hope you don’t have to go through something like this. Take care and be safe. Mata ne !!
Links for your info :
Process and Required documents link : https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page25e_000334.html
Rentry of Foreign Nationals info : https://www.mofa.go.jp/ca/fna/page4e_001074.html
Link to clinics in Vancouver : http://www.bccdc.ca/health-info/diseases-conditions/covid-19/testing/testing-information
You can also view a video for this topic at :
My PCR test Experience and why i had to do it TWICE!!
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