Four free home COVID-19 antigen tests are available to order at COVIDTests.gov , part of the seventh round of the federal government’s test-distribution program. And although this round of test orders has been going on for only a month, some people have reported that some tests are nearing their expiration date.
It may be tempting to throw away those tests or other COVID-19 home test kits that are labeled near their expiration dates, but the U.S. Food and Drug Administration is encouraging people to check its website for extensions before possibly throwing away perfectly good tests.
Antigen COVID-19 tests, often called rapid tests, detect proteins called antigens from the virus that causes COVID-19. These antigen tests , often called rapid tests, detect proteins called antigens from the virus that causes COVID-19. They can provide positive or negative test results within minutes in your own home.
The FDA says shelf life is “how long the test should work as expected and is measured from the date the test was manufactured.” The expiration date is “set at the end of the shelf-life and is the date through which the test is expected to perform as accurately as when manufactured.” Dr.
William Schaffner, a professor of infectious diseases at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, says that some COVID-19 tests can continue to function properly up to a year after the expiration date on their label, assuming they are stored properly. “As long as they haven’t been serio.