Credit FDA
#16,968
Last January the U.S. government announced that all American households were eligible to order 4 free at-home COVID test kits. A 2nd round of 4 test kits was offered in March, followed by a 3rd round of (8) test kits in May.
While tens of millions of families have taken advantage of this program, some undoubtedly have not, or haven't ordered the maximum number of free test kits available to them.
According to a notice posted on the Government Website (see below), the window for ordering free tests will end this Friday (Sept 2nd.).
(screen shot 8/29/22)
While it is possible this offer will be revived in the future, if you still qualify for additional kits, you've got only a few days to place an order.
You should be aware that the printed expiration dates on these, and previously shipped test kits are likely no longer valid. The FDA began authorizing extensions earlier this summer, with some kits now having as much as a 12-15 months `life'.
These extensions vary by manufacturer, and not every home test kit has been granted an extension. You'll need to go to the FDA website and check your kit(s), against their list.
The FDA explains:
To see if the expiration date for your at-home OTC COVID-19 test has been extended, first find the row in the below table that matches the manufacturer and test name shown on the box label of your test.
For those who are not eligible for more kits, the government recommends:The FDA will update this table as additional shelf-life extensions are authorized.
- If the Expiration Date column says that the shelf-life is "extended," there is a link to "updated expiration dates" where you can find a list of the original expiration dates and the new expiration dates. Find the original expiration date on the box label of your test and then look for the new expiration date in the "updated expiration dates" table for your test.
- If the Expiration Date column does not say the shelf-life is extended, that means the expiration date on the box label of your test is still correct. The table will say "See box label" instead of having a link to updated expiration dates.
