The fight against COVID-19 continues, with the recent outbreaks in the United States raising renewed concerns.
In a timely move, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has extended the expiration dates for several popular at-home COVID-19 test products, NBC News reports.
As the virus gains a stronger foothold, driven by newer variants like EG.5 (Eris), these tests remain a crucial tool for protection.
A Second Wave and Expiring Kits
According to recent reports, COVID-19 hospitalizations jumped nearly 19% last week, marking the sixth consecutive week of increasing admissions, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
This surge is primarily driven by newer virus variants, including the now-dominant EG.5 strain, or "Eris."
With this, many Americans are dusting off unused at-home test kits stowed away during the early days of the pandemic. While some of these tests may have passed their expiration dates, the FDA has stepped in to guarantee their effectiveness.
Read Also: WHO Expands Global Reach in Offering COVID-19 Tools After Three Licensing Agreements
The FDA's Extension: What You Need to Know
Before considering expired at-home tests, it is important to check whether they are safe and effective. The FDA has a dedicated webpage listing expiration information for each test brand, and experts strongly advise starting here.
Dr. Andrew Pekosz, a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health professor, emphasized, "That's the first thing I would do before using an expired test or throwing it away." Using an expired test increases the risk of inaccurate results, which can have far-reaching consequences for both your health and that of others.
The FDA provides information on extended expiration dates for specific test brands, usually as a PDF document. You can easily find your test's lot number, typically printed next to the expiration date on the packaging, and cross-reference it with the information on the PDF.
The FDA extends expiration dates based on new data provided by manufacturers, indicating that these tests remain effective for more extended periods than initially thought.
Dr. Pavitra Roychoudhury, a professor of laboratory medicine at the University of Washington School of Medicine, noted, "Expiration dates that were initially marked on these tests were sometimes very short because they were based on the available data at the time."
Testing Amid New Variants
Most at-home tests entered the market long before the emergence of newer COVID-19 variants. However, the FDA and experts confirm that these existing at-home tests can effectively detect infections caused by the latest strains, including descendants of the omicron variant.
This extension of expiration dates provides a cost-effective and accessible option for individuals to monitor their COVID-19 status.
Traditional lab PCR tests have become more expensive and less accessible for some Americans since the end of the public health emergency in May.
Additionally, changes in public and private insurance coverage have potentially left some without free access to at-home tests.
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