Boone County health officials reminded everyone Tuesday to check the expiration dates on their COVID-19 At-Home Test Kits.

Some of the tests became more likely to report a false negative result after the kits expired.

Health care officials said different brands of tests have different rules for expiration dates.

The Food and Drug Administration’s online page about at-home testing kits had all the information you needed about extended expiration dates.

The FDA website included where to find the exact expiration date for every kit approved by the U.S. government.

Federal health officials extended expiration dates when the manufacturer of a COVID test kit provided new data showing that the shelf-life is longer than originally expected.

FDA officials said ongoing tests showed some brand names gave accurate results past the expiration date on the box.

Boone County Health Department Spokeswoman Sara Humm said, “Even though it says it might expire in July, if you go onto the FDA’s website and look that up, it may have been extended. Of course, that’s something you should look up before you start using it. If it is in fact expired, you should not use it.”

The first federally approved COVID-19 At-Home Test Kits usually expired after six months. Some of the newer kits can last up to 16 months.

Tests were available online or at local stores.

The federal government continued to provide a limited number of free tests for every American household through the mail.

Humm said, “The latest batch gives you eight at a time for your household. I just got more for my household in the mail last week. That is something you can still get.”

Humm recommended keeping tests dry and at room temperature and never being exposed to extreme heat or freezing.