Expired at-home COVID tests can lead to inaccurate or invalid test results, but medical experts say to think twice before throwing them away.
Most Food and Drug Administration approved at-home COVID tests have a longer lifespan than previously anticipated. The FDA has updated expiration dates for those tests.
"The dates that were printed were very conservative, but it's been extended on many of those products," Bill Morrissey, the managing pharmacist at Kilgore's Medical Pharmacy in Columbia, said.
"They wanted it to be better safe than sorry," Morrissey said, "but it's been extended on many of those products, where they're actually good.
Sara Humm, the senior planner with the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services said originally, the at-home tests had an expiration date between four and six months.
"As more testing has been done, they've been able to evaluate those tests for a longer period of time," she said.
The most important thing to consider when looking for an updated expiration date is the brand or manufacturer of the at-home COVID test.
"Most manufacturers have an ability where you can call or check online," Morrissey said. "So if you have tests at home that you've had for a while, and they look like they just expired, or they're expiring soon, you can check in with that manufacturer."
Another way to find the updated list of expiration dates is on the FDA's website.
"There's a page on their website where you can look up by the name of the test, and see what that expiration date extension is," Humm said.
Click here for a full list of FDA approved at-home COVID tests and their up-to-date expiration dates.
