# Covid test outdated or not?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-test-outdated-or-not/988624>\
**Category:** The Quarantine Zone\
**Tags:** covid-quarantine\
**Created:** [August 15, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-test-outdated-or-not/988624 "2023-08-15T23:23:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![CC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f1d935/32.png) [@CC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CC)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-test-outdated-or-not/988624/1 "2023-08-15T23:23:35Z")

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I took a home covid test using a kit that was past its expiration date. When I did it, the control line showed up bright pink, leading me to think that the test was actually still actively valid and no part of it had expired. And the test did not show a positive line, so I figured it was essentially a negative. Was I correct?

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**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-test-outdated-or-not/988624/2 "2023-08-15T23:38:59Z")

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It isn’t uncommon for medicines and medical things to be useful after the expiration date. However, no one will guarantee it. This causes enormous expense and waste, as protective clothing and covid tests pass their alleged best befores. Like the food industry, dates are unlikely to be absolute and do not always mean anything.

If the control shows up normally, it likely is still useful. Will I guarantee that? No. The tests give occasional false negatives and positives when working optimally. These might increase over time.

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**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-test-outdated-or-not/988624/3 "2023-08-15T23:55:14Z")

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1: Many COVID tests have a extended expiration date which one has to look up online to know. It’s usually 6 months past the printed date.

2: I just got over COVID and had some older / expired test which I thought I’d try, and they worked as expected, testing control and positive. YMMV

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**Author:** ![duality72](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duality72/32/3910_2.png) [@duality72](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/duality72)\
**Post date:** [August 15, 2023, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/covid-test-outdated-or-not/988624/4 "2023-08-15T23:59:08Z")

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Also, there were many tests that had their expiration date extended by the FDA. You can check if your test is actually expired [here](https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/coronavirus-covid-19-and-medical-devices/home-otc-covid-19-diagnostic-tests#list).