It occurs yearly, the climate adjustments and it looks like everybody you understand all of the sudden has a critical case of the sniffles. ‘Tis the season to get sick with a chilly, the flu and even COVID-19. If you are questioning in case your at-home COVID-19 check kits are nonetheless OK to make use of, we have got excellent news. Even in case your field says it is expired, there’s an opportunity the shelf life has been prolonged.
In one occasion, I had a field of iHealth check kits that stated they have been for use by July 2022, and their dates had not been prolonged any additional, so I tossed them. If you discover you may have expired kits at house, now you can order extra free COVID-19 assessments by USPS.
Below, you’ll be able to verify the at-home COVID-19 assessments listed on the US Food and Drug Administration’s web site to see which manufacturers have had their shelf lives prolonged.
What do COVID-19 check expiration dates imply?
The expiration date listed in your field of COVID-19 assessments is the final day the check is anticipated to carry out successfully. Generally, the FDA authorizes at-home check kits with a shelf lifetime of about 4 to 6 months, however that shelf life could possibly be prolonged if the producer finds extra knowledge that reveals the assessments are nonetheless correct previous the expiration date.
Can I exploit a COVID check package after it expires?
Unless the FDA has prolonged the shelf lifetime of your field of COVID-19 assessments, it isn’t really useful you employ them after they’ve expired. Here’s why: The COVID-19 check components might degrade or break down over time, resulting in inaccurate or invalid check outcomes.
See under to search out out in case your field of COVID-19 assessments continues to be OK to make use of, because it’s attainable the expiration date has been prolonged.
How do I do know if the shelf lifetime of my COVID assessments has been prolonged?
If the producer finds that the shelf life is longer than the anticipated 4 to 6 months, it could possibly request that the FDA authorize an prolonged expiration date. Once that occurs, the producer could notify prospects of the brand new expiration dates. However, when you did not purchase the assessments through the producer, you doubtless will not obtain any notifications.
For the most recent info on the expiration dates to your COVID-19 check kits, remember to verify the FDA’s At-Home OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Tests webpage.
On that web page, the FDA web page lists COVID-19 assessments alphabetically, or you should utilize a search field to search out your check straight. In the far proper column of a desk, the FDA lists the shelf life for every check and whether or not it has been prolonged. If the expiration date has been prolonged, an extra hyperlink is typically supplied with info on the precise expiration dates for particular check heaps.
The hyperlinks under embody lot numbers and expiration dates for the manufacturers of at-home COVID-19 assessments which have had their expiration dates prolonged by the FDA. You can discover the lot quantity to your at-home COVID check on its field, often on a sticker with its expiration date.
If you do not see something on the FDA web page, you may as well verify the producer to see in the event that they’ve posted a letter from the FDA that their assessments have been prolonged.
