“COVID-19 has crept back into southwest Ohio and northern Kentucky as two omicron subvariants have become the predominant strain of infection locally,” Brooks Sutherland writes over at The Cincinnati Enquirer. “But if you’re looking to shake the dust off of your at-home rapid antigen tests to use before a late-summer vacation or a visit to grandma, there are some factors to consider. The first is effectiveness. Though studies regarding the accuracy of at-home tests were performed specifically on previous variants, experts say the sensitivity on the tests should be enough to pick up on BA.4 and BA.5, two highly infectious omicron subvariants currently spreading throughout Ohio and the Cincinnati region. A study of the effectiveness of BinaxNow, a commonly used at-home rapid antigen test, found that the BinaxNow test accurately registered a positive result in 95% of samples that were also found positive by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. ‘What we don’t know is, is this as good with the BA.4, BA.5 omicron as with BA.1 and BA.2?’ said Dr. Stephen Feagins, chief clinical officer of Mercy Health Cincinnati. ‘This is just the best that we know.’ … The FDA recommends ditching tests that have expired beyond the extension dates. The risks are that the tests can become dried out and over time and won’t give an accurate test result. The Cincinnati Enquirer rounds up the list: Expiration dates for these tests have been extended, according to the FDA.
- BinaxNow AG Card Home Test (extended from 12 to 15 months).
- BinaxNow Antigen Self Test (extended from 12 to 15 months).
- CareStart Antigen Home Test (extended from 9 to 12 months).
- Flowflex Antigen Home Test (extended from 12 to 16 months).
- Celltrion DIaTrust AG Home Test (extended from 12 to 18 months).
- Detect COVID-19 Test (extended from 6 to 8 months)
- iHealth Antigen Rapid Test (extended from 9 to 12 months).
- SCoV-2 Ag Detect Rapid Self Test (extended from 10 to 13 months).
- Pilot At-Home Test (extended from 6 to 9 months).
Expiration dates for these tests remain the same, according to the FDA.
- BD Veritor At-Home Test (6 months).
- Cue Test for Home and Over the Counter (4 months).
- Ellume Home Test (12 months).
- Genabio Rapid Self Test Kit (18 months).
- Lucira Check-It Test Kit (6 months). [Lucira told us on Aug. 9 that their kit was extended to 18 months.]
- MaximBio ClearDetect Antigen Home Test (6 months).
- Inteliswab Rapid Test (9 months).
- OHC Antigen Self Test (8 months).
- Indicaid Rapid Antigen At-Home Test (12 months).
- QuickView At-Home Test (12 months).
- Clinitest Rapid Antigen Self Test (11 months).
- Speedy Swab Rapid Antigen Self Test (6 months).
- Rapid Antigen Test Card (6 months).”
Brooks Sutherland, “How long does a COVID-19 at-home test last?”The Cincinnati Enquirer.
