These Recalled COVID Tests Could Be Contaminated With Bacteria

The last thing you expect when testing for a virus is to pick up a bacterial infection in the process. But that may be the case with some at-home COVID-19 tests being distributed in the United States, according to a US Food and Drug Administration recall . More than 500,000 tests have been distributed at CVS pharmacies and about 16,000 at Amazon, according to the BBC . South Korean company SD Biosensor is voluntarily recalling its kits in the US and asking consumers to stop using them and dispose of them properly.

Test kits are rapid antigen tests that use a nasal swab to collect and test a sample. There is a potential risk of contamination with “potentially harmful bacteria” from the liquid inside the tube found in the second test kit package .

Which COVID testing kits are being recalled?

The product is called “COVID-19 Pilot Home Tests” (see image here ), and the recalled products can be identified by the following lot numbers on the outside of the packaging :

• 53K38N1T1, 53K38N2T1, 53K38N3T1, 53K38N4T1, 53K38N5T1, 53K38P1T1, 53K38P2T1, 53K38P3T1, 53K41T5T1, 53K41S1T1, 53K41S2T1, 53K41S3T1, 53K4211T1, 53K4212T1, 53K4213T1, 53K4221T1, 53K4222T1, 53K4223T1, 53K4224T1, 53K4225T1, 53K4231T1, 53K4232T1, 53 K4233T1, 53K4261T1, 53K4262T1 53K4271T1 53K4272T1 53K4272T1 53K4274T1 53K4291T1 53K4292T1 53K42A1T1 53K42A2T1 53K42G2T1 53K42H1T1 53K42H2T1 53K42L1T1 53K42L2T1 53K4361AC 53K4362AC 53K4392AC

According to the recall, direct exposure to the liquid in the tube, which can occur when handling self-testing, can lead to severe bacterial infection. These include Enterococcus, Enterobacter, klebsiella and serratia species, which include signs of fever, discharge and red eyes, according to the BBC. They also state that there have been no official reports of illness related to the recall.

The recalled kits were distributed by Roche Diagnostics to distributors and retailers in the US and were available without a prescription.

What if you have recalled test kits?

If you have one of the lot numbers listed above, the FDA urges you not to use them and dispose of them properly: Dispose of the entire kit in household waste and do not pour the liquid down the drain. If you come into contact with the liquid inside the tube on bag number two, be sure to flush it with plenty of water. If you see irritation that does not go away, the FDA recommends that you seek medical attention.

Additional information about the recall can be found on the company’s website or by calling the Roche Customer Care Center at 1-866-987-6243 and selecting option 1. If you have a side effect from a recall that you would like to report, you can like this .