COVID-19 test kit expiration dates

[darkoshi]

If your COVID-19 test kit has passed the expiration date listed on the box, it may still be good.

Do Home Covid Tests Expire?

A quirk in the regulatory process for home tests can mean the real expiration date doesn’t always match what’s on the box.
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As a result of this requirement, a home test might have a six-month expiration when it’s first authorized, but as more time passes the test maker collects more data and seeks an extension to the original shelf-life date. That means you might have a test at home that’s passed its expiration date, but if you call the company or dig through the F.D.A. authorization letters, you’ll find it has changed.
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Tests should be marked with a manufacturing date and an expiration date. An F.D.A. spokesman said that anyone with a question about an expiration date could go online to view the various regulatory documents that extend a test’s shelf life. There is a section for antigen tests here and molecular tests here. Then, you can do the math based on your test’s manufacturing date. For instance, in January, the F.D.A. extended the shelf life of the BinaxNOW test to 15 months, from 12 months, so many people can just add another three months to the expiration listed on their box.
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whether you’re using a new test or one that is a little past its expiration date, follow the instructions carefully — and make sure the control line shows up quickly, which is an indicator that the test is still working.

“The reality is that these tests are very, very stable,” Dr. Mina said. “My expectation is that most of them, if not all of them, eventually will have a two-year expiration date at least. If the control line is showing up and it’s within 18 to 24 months of the manufacture date, you should assume the test is working.”

The kits I have don't list the manufacture date, only the expiration date.
The Siemens Clinitest kit's expiration date is listed as 2022/11, so it still has time.

For the iHealth kits, I found this:

iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test / Expiration Date Extension

Comments

[lhexan]

That's useful information, thank you.