How will I get on cruise if test results are not back?

Q .“I’m booked on an MSC Divina cruise ship, which departs at 11 a.m. on a Sunday from Miami. They told me I need a COVID-19 test two days in advance, which would make that a Friday test. I have checked with all the people that give tests and they are telling me it takes three days, sometimes up to five days, to obtain your e-mail results and all labs are closed on Sundays! I have spoken to the representatives of MSC cruise lines and they’re telling me that is their policy. I’m willing to follow their policy but if I don’t get my results, I’m standing on the dock ready to board the ship without results of my test. I have received my two vaccines plus my booster shot and I have my documentation to verify that. We are four people trying to get an answer. Do we lose all our money because we didn’t follow their rules and regulations?” —

Jerry, Tamarac

A. Although PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, which can take several days to come back, are considered the gold standard of

COVID-19 tests, MSC accepts the results of rapid antigen tests, which are considered less accurate but come back much quicker.

“MSC accepts several types of COVID-19 testing in order to maximize flexibility for our guests while adhering to our comprehensive health and safety procedures,” spokesman Field Sutton said. “Rapid antigen testing is an option for anyone 12 and older prior to embarking on a cruise, so there’s no need to worry about missing a cruise over the testing requirements. There are numerous places throughout South Florida offering rapid antigen testing with results that arrive within an hour. It’s quick and easy to schedule a test — or just walk in at many locations — during the two days leading up to a sailing.”

Sutton gave an example of his own experience with a rapid test before a cruise.

“I departed on a cruise the afternoon of Friday, Oct. 29,” he said. “I went to a drive-thru testing facility the morning of Oct. 27, drove to work after being swabbed and had rapid antigen testing results waiting in my email by the time I got to work. I then used those results to satisfy proof of testing for boarding the cruise two days later.”

Here’s a list of South Florida testing sites with details on how long it takes for results to come back: sun-sentinel.com/vaccines. Let me know how your cruise goes; I’m curious what it’s like to cruise now that everything is opening up again.

Q. “I received my Moderna booster a few months ago. I have COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) and have not found any answer as to what type or strength of vaccine I received for this third shot. Is the booster I received acceptable or must I sign up for Moderna’s new third shot booster?” — Gene, Boynton Beach

A. If you’ve gotten three shots, you’re done for now. The booster you got is stronger than the one that was recently approved. There’s no need to return for another dose.

“You likely received a full dose, just like with your other two,” said Dr. Hila Beckerman, a Delray Beach pediatrician with extensive vaccine experience. “The half dose wasn’t approved until this fall. The original Moderna concentration is

100mcg and the booster has shown to be just as efficacious at half that dose, which is 50mcg, and with decreased side effects. There is currently no recommendation for a fourth dose.”

Q. “I’m a yoga teacher in South Florida. I found out that a student who had been in one of my classes came down with

COVID-19. The student with COVID told the yoga studio owner, but the owner did not tell me or anyone who was in that class. Was there a legal obligation for the studio owner to share this information with me or the people in the class? I feel like we all should have been told so we would know to get tested.”

— Concerned instructor

A. There’s no legal requirement. It’s more of a moral responsibility,

said attorney Peter Sachs, a founding partner and chairman emeritus of the law firm Sachs Sax Caplan in Boca Raton.

“The yoga studio owner has an obligation to maintain a safe environment for her customers,” Sachs said. “In my opinion, this responsibility would include an obligation to notify the other students in the class that one of the students (name should remain confidential) they participated in class with had come down with a contagious disease such as COVID-19. The yoga studio owner breached that duty by withholding this information either intentionally or negligently.”

There might have been a legal remedy if the teacher contracted COVID-19 from the student in her class, Sachs said. But I followed up with the teacher and she didn’t.

“There is no remedy for simply not notifying her,” Sachs said. “Her option without anything else would be to stop doing business with that studio.” The instructor told me that’s exactly what she’s done.

Q. “How many people have died from taking the COVID-19 vaccine?” — John Silberman

A. As of Nov. 1, 9,367 COVID vaccine-related deaths were submitted to the CDC’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS). That’s 0.0022% of the 423 million doses given out in the United States.

But VAERS has proven to be an imperfect source of information. Health care providers are required to report deaths after vaccination to VAERS even if there’s no direct link to a vaccine, and average citizens also can submit information. So it’s a jumble the CDC warns should be analyzed by statistical professionals.

Widely shared reports on social media have said 150,000 people have died from COVID vaccines. But Reuters Fact Check rated these statements as false.

The only causal link that’s emerged so far between vaccines and deaths has occurred in some women who took the Johnson &

Johnson vaccine. In April, the CDC reported three deaths from a rare blood-clotting disorder among women 18 to 49 who got the singledose J&J. The CDC halted J&J shots April 13 but approved their resumption 10 days later, saying their advantages outweighed their potential dangers.

Q. “I am a Canadian who owns a condo in Coconut Creek. I am planning on flying to Florida Dec. 6. I have had my two Pfizer vaccines. The second one was on June 5. Will I be able to get the Pfizer booster? If yes, will I be charged for it?” — Rosa Rudick

A. You can get your shot here, and there’s no cost. COVID-19 vaccines in Florida are available to “full-time and seasonal residents,” according to the Florida Department of Health.

“Additionally, anyone in the state for the purpose of providing goods or services is also eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine in Florida,” according to the department.

Many people from foreign countries are getting their boosters here, even those who don’t own property and are just visiting. Few questions are being asked of anyone arriving at a pharmacy for a shot. You can find a list of sites that offer appointments or allow you to walk in at SunSentinel.com/coronavirus.