July 15, 2022

OSWEGO COUNTY – The Oswego County Health Department shared that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently approved another extension of the expiration date on the iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test.

This is the second three-month extension of the at-home test kits. In March, the agency approved the first allowance, increasing the expiration date of the test kits from six to nine months, based on stability studies. With this new approval, the shelf-life of the tests is now expanded to one year.

According to iHealth Labs, this extension applies to existing test kits as well as those the company will manufacture going forward. People can look up the new expiration date of their iHealth COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test by going to https://ihealthlabs.com/pages/news#expiration.

Residents are reminded that they can still order free at-home COVID-19 test kits by going to www.COVID.gov or calling 1-800-232-0233. These antigen tests are useful for rapid detection of the COVID-19 virus.

Oswego County developed a portal for residents to report positive at-home COVID-19 test results, exposure to the virus and get the necessary isolation/quarantine paperwork for schools and employers. Go to https://health.oswegocounty.com/COVID-19 and click on the appropriate link.

Test results received from doctor’s offices, pharmacies and other testing sites DO NOT need to be self-reported. However, if isolation orders are needed for school, employers or other reasons, people can request these documents using the portal’s “Report a Positive (Laboratory) Test” option. 

The health department encourages residents who test positive to immediately notify any close contacts. The close contact should then go to the State’s website at https://coronavirus.health.ny.gov/new-york-state-contact-tracing to find out if they meet the criteria for quarantine. If they do, they should report the exposure on the County Health Department’s online portal. 

For more information, go to the Oswego County Health Department’s COVID-19 page at https://health.oswegocounty.com/COVID-19 or call its COVID-19 Hotline at 315-349-3330. Callers may need to leave a message and a staff member will return the call. Residents should contact their medical providers directly for personal medical advice about COVID-19 and vaccinations or booster shots.

For information about emotional supports, visit the Oswego County Department of Social Services Division of Mental Hygiene at www.oswegocounty.com/mentalhygiene.

Under New York State Public Health Law, the Oswego County Health Department is the local public health authority regarding the COVID-19 pandemic response within the County of Oswego. The Oswego County Health Department works closely with New York State Department of Health regarding COVID-19 monitoring, response, and reporting.