Many households recently received four at home COVID-19 tests in the mail.
The tests are delivered to mailboxes with an expiration date printed on them so using them when needed is important.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, if the tests are delivered during cold temperatures they should be brought inside and left unopened at room temperature for at least two hours before opening.
Doctor Michael Roshon with Centura Health says the tests are very temperature stable, but he doesn’t suggest testing the limits of the tests.
“In general, you want it to be at room temperature when you use it that’s for sure, but they are manufactured to be stable through the normal temperatures they would get exposed to getting shipped and I would probably, personally I would check my box quickly and get it out of there and get it in the house,”
Dr. Roshon also notes the best way to make sure these tests are accurate is to wait a few days after you have been exposed.
"So, if you say, 'I just got exposed, I know I was around somebody who has COVID,' then next day you take a test, it's likely to be negative and you could get COVID the next day or a few days after that,"
He also says the at home tests will benefit everybody from people with COVID-19 and those close to them, as well as doctors' offices and employers.
Anybody who thinks they had a problem with their at home tests can login to the FDA website and fill out the MedWatch Online Voluntary Reporting Form.
