Expired COVID-19 at-home test could provide inaccurate results, Arizona doctor says
Feb 22, 2022, 4:35 AM | Updated: 5:56 am
(File Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
(File Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
PHOENIX — At-home COVID-19 tests became a common practice during the omicron variant surge, and like most things they expire.
Dr. Shad Marvasti with the University of Arizona College of Medicine recommends people check to see if a COVID-19 test is expired before using it.
“If you use anything like that after its expiration date, the test results are not reliable,” Marvasti told KTAR News 92.3 FM. “That is problematic depending on how long you’re going to hang on to it.”
Marvasti said the swab is not going to expire, but it depends on “whether or not the actual chemical reagent is going to be as effective.”
He said people can still use a test a few days after the expiration date, however, the amount of time for accurate results varies.
Marvasti advises people get a PCR test for accurate results if the at-home test ends up being expired.
