WANTAGH, N.Y. (1010 WINS) -- As COVID-19 cases continue to rise in New York, some Long Island families got the chance to get their hands on at-home tests Thursday. But some parents are now left confused on whether what they got will even work in a few weeks.
One Wantagh mother told WINS that she waited in line to get the kits Thursday, but once she got home, another mom informed her that some tests expire before the month ends.
The superintendent soon after sent an email saying that some kits may say they expire in January, but said that the kits were on an FDA list that are usable for 90 days after their expiration date.
“I just don’t see why you would take something that a lot of people are nervous about … and you’re handing them expired tests,” said the Nassau mom.
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Despite the superintendent’s note about the 90-day extension for some kits, the test a parents sent a photo to WINS of was not on that list.
The mom said she was given multiple tests, and that they “didn’t care how many people were on their list" when deciding how many to hand out. She thinks now that the county has an “abundance” of expiring tests that they don’t know what to do with.
“I really don’t think the line to pick these up today would’ve been as long as it was if anybody knew that these tests were going to expire,” she said.
Republican Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, who said he would not enforce mask-wearing in schools and for county workers despite a state mandate, said he wasn’t aware of the expiration dates, and that the tests came from the state.
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“I’m sure that whatever test we receive in Nassau County, that those test will be fully operational and conform to all specifications and standards.
WINS reached out the the county’s Health Department, who referred back to Blakeman for comment.