More Free Home Covid Tests Are Available

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

You can now order your 3rd set of free Home Covid tests from https://special.usps.com/testkits

This time they are sending out 8 tests and they give you 2 tracking numbers when ordered.

 

[audreyh1]

DH has something like 8 tests a month available from Medicare. That would easily cover both of us.

https://www.cms.gov/newsroom/fact-sheets/medicare-covers-over-counter-covid-19-tests

 

[razztazz]

Mine are still sealed in the everything-proof envelope/plastic baggie thing they came in to be opened when needed. Anybody know what the shelf life of these tests is?

 

[JDARNELL]

Mine are still sealed in the everything-proof envelope/plastic baggie thing they came in to be opened when needed. Anybody know what the shelf life of these tests is?

A friend of mine got his free ones in March and the expiration date is June 2022

 

[RobbieB]

Yeah, mine too.

Order went thought fine, no charge -

 

[latexman]

Thanks! That was so easy.

 

[razztazz]

A friend of mine got his free ones in March and the expiration date is June 2022

Thanx. Some good news I guess. I got my "Government" tests back in Jan 2022. earlier in Jan I bought a 2-test pack from Amazon. They are all exactly the same brand, in the same identical boxes. And the expiration dates are all mid-late June 2022. Didn't see any "date of manufacture" on any of the boxes so it's at east a 6 months shelf life but could be more if you get "really fresh ones."

 

[RetiredAndLovingIt]

According to another post the FDA is extending the life of the tests.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/home-covid-tests-extended-shelf-life-113991.html

 

[razztazz]

According to another post the FDA is extending the life of the tests.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/home-covid-tests-extended-shelf-life-113991.html

Thanks, that made my week

 

[jollystomper]

According to another post the FDA is extending the life of the tests.

https://www.early-retirement.org/forums/f55/home-covid-tests-extended-shelf-life-113991.html

I checked the FDA site. Of the ones we and DS received in our first 2 orders, the BinaxNow tests expiration dates were extended for 3 months (e.g. if it has 2022-04-30 it will still be good through 2022-07-30), and the Flowflex were extended for 4 months. The Roche tests were not mentioned (at least I could not find them in the list), so for now I assume their expiration dates have not been extended.

 

[ncbill]

Thanks!

My oldest felt sick when coming through town so used one of ours.

Results negative, but he mistakenly packed up the rest & took them with him.

 

[harllee]

Thanks for the link I have put in my order today.

 

[Chuckanut]

Mine are still sealed in the everything-proof envelope/plastic baggie thing they came in to be opened when needed. Anybody know what the shelf life of these tests is?

As they get more experienced with these tests, the shelf life keeps getting extened. There is a government website that will give you the latest info. It's possible that the shelf life will continue to be extended into the future as we get more experience via actual usage in the field. Most of the extensions seem to be coming in chunks of three months at a time. Multiple extensions are possible for a given test.

Check out this site.

https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/...agnostic-tests

 

[pacergal]

Yes, just ordered ours from USPS.
We also have been able to get them rather easily from our Kaiser pharmacy, 2 boxes per week per person.

 

[Sunset]

A friend of mine got his free ones in March and the expiration date is June 2022

A revised expiration list is available.

I got 2 orders previously.

For mine, the ones expiring before the summer have 4 months added to the life.

My ones that expire Jan 2023 have no change.

 

[Alan]

The last couple of boxes we got were in January and it says they were made in Dec 2021 and expire in Dec 2023. All the home test kits we have ever got have have expiration dates 2 years after they were made. Do the test kits in the USA show the date they were manufactured?

The free test kits ended here in April. We took the bus into town today to do some clothes and shoe shopping. First time we have used the bus here for a couple of years. (We did use the bus while in Cornwall last summer). Our local Covid test center was dismantled last week and no one wears masks anywhere now, it’s as if they think it’s all over, but of course it could flare back up again at any time.

Covid-19 infections in the UK are at the lowest levels seen so far this year, the latest weekly Office for National Statistics figures suggest.
Estimated infections have returned to levels last seen before the first Omicron variant, called BA.1, became widespread.
It comes alongside a fall in the number of hospital patients with coronavirus, with the lowest number of people in hospital with Covid since the end of December 2021.
But in total more than 177,000 people have died in the UK since the outbreak of the virus.
A Covid vaccination programme has so far reached nine in 10 people aged 12 and over with a first dose.

 

[REWahoo]

The last couple of boxes we got were in January and it says they were made in Dec 2021 and expire in Dec 2023. All the home test kits we have ever got have have expiration dates 2 years after they were made.

You Brits know how to make things last. Just look at your Queen...

 

[Chuckanut]

There was an interesting interview with Eric Topal on PBS News Hour yesterday.

Let's just say, don't toss those N95 masks or test kits yet. (And get N95 or KN95 masks if you don't already have them.) It seems that the latest variant may be better at giving vaccinated people severe Covid. Vaccines are still very effective, but its more like 80-85% than 95+%. Of course, like all Covid predictions, nobody knows for certain.

 

[Alan]

You Brits know how to make things last. Just look at your Queen...

She is like the Energizer bunny and keeps on going.

I just checked the make of the tests we have and some are Flow Flex which is on the FDA list linked to in the other thread.

 

[jollystomper]

I ordered this set of tests on 5/16. They arrived on 5/25.
- One box of SD Biosenor (4 tests), expiration 8/26/22
- 2 boxes of iHealth (2 tests each), expiration date 7/29/22 (extended to 10/28/22)

 

[Montecfo]

Thanks! Ordered.

 

[RobbieB]

All 8 (4 boxes of 2 tests) arrived last week. Same as the first ones.

 

[Chuckanut]

I got my tests also. They appear to be short-dated tests, though we now know that most of these tests are good for at least 3 months longer than the date on the box. Check the government website for the latest expectations for on the true shelf life of Covid tests.

 

[harllee]

I have a really large pile of tests now, so I am good

 

[Aerides]

Yeah I'm not terribly worried about the expiry dates. I figure if they start to lose efficacy after their dates, a positive is still pretty darn probably a positive. And we all know it's possible to test negative for a few days when you are first symptomatic.