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After an explosion of COVID infections during the winter Omicron surge, we'd been enjoying the relative calm of the virus' downward trend over the last several weeks. But the spread of the Omicron subvariant BA.2 has given way to rising numbers once again. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coronavirus cases have increased by more than 35 percent in the last week—making it clear that a new spike in infections has arrived. With the U.S. stripping back most COVID mitigation policies, many have been left wondering how to protect themselves. Virus experts now have a new recommendation that can help everyone, whether they're vaccinated or not. Read on to find out what steps you should be taking.

Kaugnay:Dr. Fauci Just Issued This New Warning to All Americans—Vaccinated or Not.

As cases increase again, virus experts are once again stressing the importance of testing yourself for COVID at home. "If you are going to be around the vulnerable population that can't be protected from the disease–and, unfortunately, we have a lot of people that fall into that category—then you should do everything in your power to try and make sure you don't have the virus," Omai Garner, PhD, director of clinical microbiology in the UCLA Health System, told NPR.AE0FCC31AE342FD3A1346EBB1F342FCB.

A recent study from Michigan evaluating the impact of at-home COVID tests found that they're extremely important throughout spikes. According to this study, infection rates during one of the recent variant surges was significantly lower in cities that received free at-home tests from the state than those that had not.

"It's clear that at-home rapid antigen tests are useful, and they have tremendous value at an individual level in terms of how people decide to live their lives in the pandemic, but also provide invaluable information to experts at a population health level," Apurv Soni, MD, an assistant professor of medicine and principal investigator of the study, said in a statement, adding that people should "know to use them when cases are rising, and not to use them when COVID-19 cases are low."

It's likely that many of us still have COVID tests stored away at home, whether you stockpiled too much during the winter Omicron surge or you haven't used all of the ones delivered by the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). If that's the case, you can and should use these to start testing yourself again amid rising infections—even if they say they're expired.

William Schaffner, MD, a virus expert and professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, recently told CNN that at-home COVID tests are manufactured to last longer than one might expect. "We have tests now that have been shown to be good for a year and I think some probably even longer. In other words, these are very, very stable tests," he explained.

The expiration dates are there for a reason, but you have some wiggle room. "Now, if I have a test that expired last week, will it still be accurate this week if I use it? And the short answer is yes," Schaffner said. "As long as you haven't abused the test in some way, put it in a deep freeze or left it out in the sun or something like that. Sure. We can rely on the results of the test."

Other experts have even green-lit expired tests for longer than that. "My expectation is that most of them, if not all of them, eventually will have a two-year expiration date at least. If the control line is showing up and it's within 18 to 24 months of the manufacture date, you should assume the test is working," Michael Mina, PhD, an home-test technology expert and chief science officer for eMed, toldThe New York Times.

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All COVID tests should be marked with a manufacturing date and an expiration date, according to The New York Times. On its website, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it "does not recommend" using at-home COVID tests beyond their authorized expiration dates. "COVID-19 tests and parts they are made of may degrade, or break down, over time. Because of this, expired test kits could give inaccurate test results," the FDA warns.

Ngunit ayon kay Schaffner, pinalawak ng ahensya ang awtorisadong pag -expire ng mga petsa sa ilang mga pagsubok sa paglipas ng panahon. "Dahil nangangailangan ng oras para sa mga tagagawa ng pagsubok upang magsagawa ng pagsubok sa katatagan, ang FDA ay karaniwang nagpapahintulot sa mga pagsubok sa bahay na Covid-19 na may isang petsa ng pag-expire ng halos apat hanggang anim na buwan mula sa araw na ang pagsubok ay ginawa, batay sa mga resulta ng paunang pag-aaral," ipinaliwanag. "Kapag ang tagagawa ng pagsubok ay may higit na mga resulta ng pagsubok sa katatagan, tulad ng 12 o 18 buwan, ang tagagawa ng pagsubok ay maaaring makipag -ugnay sa FDA upang hilingin na pahintulutan ng FDA ang isang mas mahabang petsa ng pag -expire."

Kung nangyari ito, sinabi ng FDA na maaari kang makatanggap ng isang alerto mula sa tagagawa ng iyong pagsubok - kahit na hindi ito palaging nangyayari. "Kapag ang isang mas mahabang petsa ng pag -expire ay awtorisado, ang tagagawa ng pagsubok ay maaaring magpadala ng isang paunawa sa mga customer upang magbigay ng bagong awtorisadong petsa ng pag -expire, kaya alam ng mga customer kung gaano katagal maaari nilang gamitin ang mga pagsubok na mayroon na sila," dagdag ni Schaffner.

Dahil sa patuloy na pagsubok, ang mga petsa ng pag-expire sa ilang mga pagsubok sa covid sa bahay ay maaaring hindi tumpak sa kung gaano katagal maaari silang magtagal, ipinaliwanag ni Schaffner sa CNN. "Kaya maaari kang makakuha ng isang pagsubok mula sa parehong tagagawa at isang mas maikli at isang mas mahabang petsa ng pag -expire, depende sa kung kailan ginawa ang aktwal na pagsubok at naihatid sa tindahan o ipinadala sa iyo ng pamahalaang pederal," aniya.

Ayon kayAng New York Times, maaaring ito ang kaso para sa mga may -ari ng mga pagsubok sa binaxnow. Pinahaba ng FDA ang buhay ng istante ng pagsubok na ito mula 12 buwan hanggang 15 buwan noong Enero 2022, nangangahulugang maraming mga mamimili ang dapat magdagdag ng isa pang tatlong buwan sa petsa ng pag -expire na nakalista sa kanilang kahon. Sinabi ng isang tagapagsalita ng FDA sa pahayagan na ang sinumang may tanong tungkol sa pag -expire ng kanilang tukoy na pagsubok ay dapat tingnan ang website ng ahensya para sa anumang mga dokumento ng pahintulot na nagpapahiwatig ng isang pinalawak na buhay ng istante.

"Maraming tao ngayon ang may maliit na imbentaryo ng mga pagsubok sa bahay,"Mara Aspinall, isang dalubhasa sa biomedical diagnostic sa Arizona State University, sinabiAng New York Times. "Ito ay magiging isang awa kung ang isang tao ay may mga sintomas, ngunit hindi sila gumagamit ng isang pagsubok dahil ito ay ilang araw na wala sa oras. Kung ang isang pagsubok ay mga araw na wala sa oras, malamang na ito ay epektibo pa rin. Kung buwan na wala sa oras , napakahalaga na suriin ang website upang makita kung pinalawak ang petsa. "

Kaugnay:Nagbabala si Dr. Fauci na ang mga nabakunahan na tao ay "kailangang mapagtanto" ito ngayon.