COVID-19 instances nonetheless aren’t slowing down, which may imply you are wanting by your stash of at-home COVID-19 take a look at kits to see in the event that they’re nonetheless OK to make use of. We have excellent news. Even when your field exhibits they’re now not good, it is potential the shelf life has been prolonged (see under).
When you discover they’ve expired, now you can order extra free COVID-19 assessments by USPS. For example, the field of iHealth take a look at kits I had mentioned to make use of by July 2022 and it had not been prolonged any additional so I tossed it.
Beneath, you may examine the at-home COVID-19 assessments listed on the US Meals and Drug Administration’s web site to see which manufacturers have had their shelf lives prolonged.
What do COVID-19 take a look at expiration dates imply?
The expiration date listed in your field of COVID-19 assessments is the ultimate day the take a look at is predicted to carry out successfully. Typically, the FDA authorizes at-home take a look at kits with a shelf lifetime of about 4 to 6 months, however that shelf life might be prolonged if the producer finds extra knowledge that exhibits the assessments are nonetheless correct previous the expiration date.
Can I exploit a COVID take a look at package after it expires?
Except the FDA has prolonged the shelf lifetime of your field of COVID-19 assessments, it is not advisable you utilize them after they’ve expired. Here is why: The COVID-19 take a look at elements may degrade or break down over time, resulting in inaccurate or invalid take a look at 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 potential 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 will possibly request that the FDA authorize an prolonged expiration date. As soon as that occurs, the producer could notify prospects of the brand new expiration dates. Nonetheless, in the event you did not purchase the assessments by way of the producer, you seemingly will not obtain any notifications.
For the most recent info on the expiration dates in your COVID-19 take a look at kits, you should definitely examine the FDA’s At-Dwelling OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Assessments webpage.
On that web page, the FDA web page lists COVID-19 assessments alphabetically, or you need to use a search field to search out your take a look at immediately. Within the far proper column of a desk, the FDA lists the shelf life for every take a look at and whether or not it has been prolonged. If the expiration date has been prolonged, an extra hyperlink is typically offered information on actual expiration dates for particular take a look at heaps.
The hyperlinks under embrace lot numbers and expiration dates for the manufacturers of at-home COVID-19 assessments which have had their expiration dates prolonged by the FDA. Yow will discover the lot quantity in your at-home COVID take a look at on its field, often on a sticker with its expiration date.
When you do not see something on the FDA web page, you can too examine the producer to see in the event that they’ve posted a letter from the FDA that their assessments have been prolonged.