COVID-19 circumstances nonetheless aren’t slowing down, which may imply you are wanting by your stash of at-home COVID-19 check kits to see in the event that they’re nonetheless OK to make use of. We have excellent news. Even when your field reveals they’re not good, it is doable the shelf life has been prolonged (see beneath).
In case you discover they’ve expired, now you can order extra free COVID-19 checks by USPS. For example, the field of iHealth check kits I had stated to make use of by July 2022 and it had not been prolonged any additional so I tossed it.
Under, you may test the at-home COVID-19 checks 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 check expiration dates imply?
The expiration date listed in your field of COVID-19 checks is the ultimate day the check is anticipated to carry out successfully. Typically, 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 checks are nonetheless correct previous the expiration date.
Can I take advantage of a COVID check equipment after it expires?
Until the FDA has prolonged the shelf lifetime of your field of COVID-19 checks, it isn’t advisable you utilize them after they’ve expired. Here is why: The COVID-19 check elements may degrade or break down over time, resulting in inaccurate or invalid check outcomes.
See beneath to search out out in case your field of COVID-19 checks remains to be OK to make use of, because it’s doable the expiration date has been prolonged.
How do I do know if the shelf lifetime of my COVID checks has been prolonged?
If the producer finds that the shelf life is longer than the anticipated 4 to 6 months, it may request that the FDA authorize an prolonged expiration date. As soon as that occurs, the producer could notify clients of the brand new expiration dates. Nonetheless, in the event you did not purchase the checks through the producer, you possible will not obtain any notifications.
For the most recent data on the expiration dates to your COVID-19 check kits, remember to test the FDA’s At-Residence OTC COVID-19 Diagnostic Exams webpage.
On that web page, the FDA web page lists COVID-19 checks alphabetically, or you need to use a search field to search out your check instantly. Within 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 usually supplied data on precise expiration dates for particular check heaps.
The hyperlinks beneath embrace lot numbers and expiration dates for the manufacturers of at-home COVID-19 checks which have had their expiration dates prolonged by the FDA. Yow will discover the lot quantity to your at-home COVID check on its field, normally on a sticker with its expiration date.
In case you do not see something on the FDA web page, you too can test the producer to see in the event that they’ve posted a letter from the FDA that their checks have been prolonged.
