Search results
Sep 29, 2023 · Consumers can now order four free coronavirus home tests per household through the government-run website CovidTests.gov. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has tests on...
- Ken Alltucker
- Health Reporter
Nov 21, 2023 · Starting November 20, every U.S. household can again place an order to receive four more free COVID-19 rapid tests delivered directly to their home. If you didn’t order tests since the program reopened in September, the site will let you place two orders for a total of eight tests.
People also ask
Do iHealth test kits expire?
What is a test-kit expiration date extension?
How long do test kits last?
What happens if a test expires?
Jan 10, 2023 · The FDA extended the shelf life of iHealth Covid tests by six months this summer, but many kits still expire in February, and some have already. An iHealth at home Covid-19 rapid antigen test...
- Aria Bendix
Oct 14, 2023 · Generally, the FDA authorizes at-home test kits with a shelf life of about four to six months, but that shelf life could be extended if the manufacturer finds more data that shows the...
- Katie Teague
- Writer II
- Overview
- Why did the FDA extend expiration dates?
- Which test brands can you use after they've "expired"?
- What happens if a COVID-19 test is truly expired?
With COVID-19 cases on the rise again in the U.S., Americans are reviving a familiar precautionary measure: Screening for the virus using rapid at-home tests.
Many people still have kits the government formerly provided to all households for free, especially as some schools and businesses again require tests. Yet different COVID-19 tests bear expiration dates on their packaging that have long since passed, raising questions about whether they're still effective.
Once in short supply, test kits are now easier to come by, but they can be costly in stores, roughly $25 for a pack of two tests. It's also still possible for both insured and uninsured people to get free testing. The government is once again offering free rapid at-home tests by mail, which you can order online at COVIDTests.gov.
•More free COVID-19 tests can be ordered now, as uptick looms
•Free COVID test kits are coming back. Here's how to get them.
If you still have any older tests stored away, the good news is that some COVID-19 test kits that are past their expiration dates may still be effective. Here's how to find out if your COVID-19 test is safe to use.
The Food and Drug Administration maintains a list of authorized over-the-counter COVID-19 diagnostic tests that indicate if the expiration date printed on their packaging is valid or if it has been extended.
The FDA has extended the expiration dates of several different test brands, lengthening their shelf lives to up to two years. The extensions come in response to manufacturers testing their kits for accuracy beyond their printed expiration dates and sharing the results with the FDA.
Abbott's widely used BinaxNow COVID-19 test kits now have a shelf life of up to 22 months, depending on when the tests were manufactured. In January of 2023, the pharmaceutical firm told customers that kits they'd previously purchased "may now have a longer than labeled product expiry date." To see if a BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test kit in your possession has a new expiration date, you can search for its lot number in the attached list here.
"All BinaxNOW COVID-19 Antigen Self Test kits currently have a twenty-two-month expiry date," the company said. Abbott added that expiration dates could be extended again in the future, pending new data on their viability.
Users of other tests, like Ellume's COVID-19 Home Test, should refer to the expiration date printed on the tests' packaging. If a test truly has expired, the results it delivers cannot be trusted, according to the FDA.
"COVID-19 tests and the parts they are made of may degrade, or break down, over time. Because of this, expired test kits could give inaccurate or invalid test results," the FDA said in a statement on its website.
- Cerullo
- 3 min
Aug 31, 2022 · Unless, of course, the expiration date has been extended, as is the case with many of the free, government-provided test kits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced recently that expiration dates have been updated on testing kits from a variety of manufacturers.
Nov 15, 2022 · Each household can get four free at-home Covid tests by mail, the Biden administration announced. Private insurance and Medicare also cover monthly tests.
