{"id":1587,"date":"2024-11-01T11:55:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-01T11:55:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/01\/you-may-not-need-to-throw-out-those-expired-covid-19-home-tests\/"},"modified":"2024-11-01T11:55:06","modified_gmt":"2024-11-01T11:55:06","slug":"you-may-not-need-to-throw-out-those-expired-covid-19-home-tests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retirednurseblog.com\/index.php\/2024\/11\/01\/you-may-not-need-to-throw-out-those-expired-covid-19-home-tests\/","title":{"rendered":"You may not need to throw out those \u2018expired\u2019 Covid-19 home tests"},"content":{"rendered":"

Four free home Covid-19 antigen tests are available to order at COVIDTests.gov, part of the seventh round of the federal government\u2019s test-distribution program. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

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 US Food and Drug Administration is encouraging people to check its website for extensions before possibly throwing away perfectly good tests. <\/p>\n

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. <\/p>\n

The FDA says shelf life is \u201chow long the test should work as expected and is measured from the date the test was manufactured.\u201d The expiration date is \u201cset at the end of the shelf-life and is the date through which the test is expected to perform as accurately as when manufactured.\u201d <\/p>\n

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 <\/strong>up to a year after the expiration date on their label, assuming they are stored properly. <\/p>\n

\u201cAs long as they haven\u2019t been seriously abused and left out in the sun or in other ways had any \u2018aggressions\u2019 on the test, they ought to still work,\u201d Schaffner said. <\/p>\n

Covid-19 test manufacturers decide these dates through laboratory testing, he noted. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey manufacture the tests, and then they put them on the shelf,\u201d Schaffner said. \u201cThey periodically take them off the shelf two months, four months, six months, et cetera, and see how well they work in order to provide the Food and Drug Administration assurance that they will still function as intended.\u201d <\/p>\n

Experts recommend taking a Covid-19 test if you develop symptoms such as cough, fever, shortness of breath and fatigue. Different respiratory infections can have similar symptoms, so it may be hard to know what\u2019s causing your illness. The FDA recommends that people take several rapid tests to ensure they do not have Covid-19: two negative tests for those with symptoms and three for those without symptoms, performed 48 hours apart. <\/p>\n

Prescription drugs like Paxlovid can help with Covid-19 symptoms, and Tamiflu can treat the flu. But these medications work best when taken soon after symptoms start, so it\u2019s best to get tested when you start to feel sick. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe respiratory tract, the nose, the throat and the bronchial tubes that go down to the lung are simple organs,\u201d Schaffner said. \u201cThey respond kind of similarly to most kinds of respiratory viral infections. All of these viruses can produce common cold symptoms, but then they go on to become more symptomatic.\u201d <\/p>\n

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