COVID-19

LifeLabs now offers a convenient home collection kit for travellers to test for COVID-19 safely and easily through the comfort of their home or hotel. The kit contains a swab which you will insert between the lower gum and is rotated 3 times, this is then repeated on the other side of the mouth. It then goes 1-1.15cm into the nasal cavity and swirled for 15 secs and then perform the same procedure on the second nasal cavity. This collection must be completed under the supervision of an observer. It will then be sealed, packages, shipped and tested at a LifeLabs laboratory and you will receive your results within 72 hours of the sample being dropped off or pick up.

A swab kit and tube, biohazard bag, absorbent strip, foil pouch, blank specimen label, blank requisition, optional winter kit freeze tag, collection and packing instructions, tamper evident label, FedEx shipping label, and return shipping envelope with a UN3373 label.

After you register your COVID-19 Home Collection Kit online, you will receive a confirmation email that will include your Order ID.

You must provide your Order ID to receive your results.

On the kit registration form, you will be prompted to enter the Kit ID.

The Kit ID is present on the side of the box.

The COVID-19 Home Collection Kits you received are identical and not specific to Day 1 or Day 8 testing. You can use either as Day 1 and Day 8.

Please enter the Kit ID as per the example in the format below.

Correct KIT ID for the above example: A 2022-30-06 AA000017

The tube holds liquid viral transport media which preserves your nasal specimen as it travels to the laboratory. It is important that you do not spill the liquid out of the tube.

Children 5 years or older can take this test. For virtual self collection, children under 16 years old must be assisted and have collection performed by a guardian during their scheduled appointment time with the LifeLabs technician.

Please fill out the label in block letters according to the instructions provided with First Name, Last Name, and Date of Birth. Once filled out, peel off the specimen label and place it vertically on the tube being careful not to cover up the barcode or the serial number.

Please ensure you register your kit prior to booking and attending your virtual observation appointment.

To ensure proper testing, you will need to book a virtual appointment with a LifeLabs technician through Microsoft Teams (MS Teams), who will guide you through the self-collection. If using a mobile device, please download the free Microsoft Teams application found in your app store before your appointment and view the instructional video here at least one hour prior to your appointment. The video will give an overview of what to expect during your sample collection.

Instructions for Installing and Testing MS Teams can be found by clicking the links below. You do not need to create a MS Teams account for this session:
Hardware Requirements for MS Teams
Install MS Teams
Test MS Teams 

For optimal experience when connected with a technician to observe your test collection, we recommend using the following browsers:

• If on a desktop computer, please use Google Chrome browser
• If on a mobile device, please download the free ‘Microsoft Teams’ application found in your app store.

Ensure you allow your browser access to both your camera and microphone when connecting with a technician.

If you do not qualify for a video consultation or you were unable to find any suitable time slot to meet the collection deadline, LifeLabs has alternate options to assist you with your specimen collection.

To ensure the most accurate testing, you can select the collection type that best suits your needs.

1. Schedule a telephone consultation with one of our technicians to guide you through your collection by contacting our LifeLabs customer support Center at +1 877-313-4982
   OR
2. Schedule a time to visit any ONE of the locations below with your COVID-19 sample collection kit.
   • Participating Shoppers Drug Mart locations only. (Exclusively available for customers in British Columbia and Ontario)
   • Russ Baker Way location. (Available for customers in British Columbia exclusively)
     • Address: 6084 Russ Baker Way, Richmond, BC V7B 1B4
       Phone: +1 877-313-4982

Alternate Options

For customers in Yukon and Saskatchewan:

Please call the LifeLabs customer support Center at 1-877-313-4982 to arrange for an alternate collection service.

Please note: Collection MUST be observed by a LifeLabs technician or designated onsite collector to be valid, and kits MUST be registered to connect results back to you. Failure to do so will result in your specimen being rejected and could create a delay to when you can legally end your quarantine.

Once you have collected your sample, contact FedEx at 1-855-344-3917 

Please remember to keep track of your FedEx confirmation number to track your kit.

If your final destination is outside of the three listed provinces, you can still complete your COVID-19 test with our COVID-19 Home Collection Kit by following the 5 mandatory steps below

1. Register your COVID-19 Home Collection Kit at LifeLabs.com/covidkit and select your province of entry.
2. Book a virtual observation by a LifeLabs technician.
3. Complete your test through virtual appointment.
4. Schedule a FedEx pick up.
5. Obtain your results!

Please note: The alternate collection or drop off locations listed on the website are for ON, BC, SK and YK customers only. If you are completing your COVID-19 test in a province outside ON, BC, SK or YK, please ensure you book and attend a virtual observation appointment and schedule a sample pick up by FedEx ONLY.

If you do not qualify for a FedEx pick up or if you collected your sample after 10 am on a Friday, click on the link below to arrange to drop off your sample at a participating location. This will ensure your sample is processed at our lab and results are provided to you within 72 hours of the sample being dropped off.

If you need any additional assistance, please call LifeLabs Customer Care at : 1-877-313-4982.

Alternate drop-off options

If there is any issue with your COVID-19 kit, and you require a new kit, follow the instructions below.

Option 1: If you have already registered a kit online, you can order a replacement kit online:

• Find the Order Confirmation email you received when you first registered your kit online.
• Click on the Link in the email to download your requisition.
• Log in using the Password you created during registration.
• Click on the “Reorder” button beside the kit you need to replace.
• Confirm the delivery address.

You will receive a confirmation email with details about your replacement kit shipping status.

You can also order a replacement kit by following the link below. You need to have your Order ID and password ready.

How to Order a Replacement Kit

Option 2: If you cannot find your registration email, you can coordinate the shipping of a replacement kit by calling our call center at: 1-877-313-4982

Results will be provided within 72 hours of the sample being dropped off or picked up. Results will be sent through the email address you provided at the time of collection. You will receive an email with a secure link to access your test results.

If you were assisted by LifeLabs customer support center for registration / appointment booking and if you used our telephone guidance service, you will receive a call from a LifeLabs employee to deliver your results and they can mail you the results upon request.

Collecting your sample with a buccal swab aids COVID-19 testing analysis by improving your test quality and reducing the need to retest. Some COVID-19 Home Collection Kits include instructions which do not mention a buccal swab, however your collection coach will guide you through both buccal and bilateral nasal collection.

Yes, you can add orders for all your family members under one FlyClear^TM MyCareCompass.  

Please follow the steps listed below:

1. Click here to sign-in to your FlyClear^TM MyCareCompass account.
2. Click on Add Order on the top right corner in portal.
3. Follow the steps to complete registration. You MUST enter the same email ID that you used for creating a FlyClear^TM MyCareCompass account. If you use an alternate email ID, you will not be able to access your results.
4. After completing registration, click on View Details to download requisitions or results.

Note: You will need to complete the screening and ordering process individually for each traveller who requires testing.

No; appointments must be made for each individual traveller to ensure that the trained LifeLabs technician is able to adequately observe your collection to ensure the quality of your sample.  

A negative test usually means you don’t have COVID-19. However, the accuracy of a test can vary depending on when your sample is taken during the course of your illness. If you’re tested too soon after you were exposed to COVID-19, there may not be enough virus in your body for an accurate result. If this is the case at the time of the test, your test may come back negative, even if you actually have the virus. This would be considered a ‘false negative’ test.

The ability of molecular tests to correctly identify those who truly are infected with the virus is linked to the amount of virus or viral load within the person being tested. Current tests cannot identify individuals that have been exposed the instant they have come into contact with the virus. These individuals could be incubating the virus but not to the point that a test would be positive. That means that even if they receive a negative test result there is still a risk that they could go on and transmit the virus to others once the infection proceeds further. The testing frequency has been designed to ensure that infection in individuals who may be in the early stages prior to/upon arrival to Canada is detected.

If a person tests positive on Day 1, they are not required to complete the Day 8 test.

PHAC is unable to accept this alternate collection option at this time. They may revisit this option in the future, but at this time it is preferred that virtual observations be completed by LifeLabs virtual observers.