The FDA notes that some COVID tests might still be good even if they’re past the expiration date on their package Some expiration dates have been extended based on new data supplied by manufacturers Some free COVID tests being shipped by the federal government might seem expired but are still good THURSDAY, Oct. 31, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Don’t automatically throw out that old at-home test you just came across in your medicine cabinet. It might still be good, according to the U.
S. Food and Drug Administration. Some over-the-counter COVID tests have had their expiration dates extended beyond the date displayed on packaging, the FDA said.
The FDA has set up a people can use to check and see if their COVID tests are still good, or if they’ve expired and need to be replaced. “Search the current list of authorized at-home COVID-19 tests that have extended expiration dates,” the FDA said in a . “If your at-home tests do not have an extended expiration date and they have expired, do not use them.
” The expiration date on a test’s packaging reflects its expected shelf-life -- how long an individual test should work as expected from the date of its manufacture. However, some test expirations have been extended based on data provided by manufacturers showing that the shelf-life is longer than what was known when the test first received FDA authorization. Cards reminding people to check test expiration dates also are being included in the free test kit packages that the.