COVID-19 tests are designed to let you know if you may be ill.
But some might actually make you sick.
A manufacturer is recalling more than half a million test kits distributed to CVS and Amazon because they may be contaminated with strains of bacteria that can cause disease, according to the FDA.
The contaminated kits can also lead to false test results.
The federal agency has received no reports of anyone actually developing a disease from the kits. Still, the FDA is warning consumers to stop using and throw away test kits that are the subject of the recall. The liquid solution should not be poured down the drain.
The kits are called SD Biosensor, Inc. Pilot COVID-19 At-Home Tests and are distributed by Roche Diagnostics.
For test kit lot numbers and more information, see the FDA recall notice here.
About 500,000 kits were distributed to CVS and about 16,000 to Amazon.
The kits were not among those distributed for free by the federal government.
The liquid in the test kits may be contaminated with certain strains of bacteria.
During the normal testing process, consumers should not ingest or come into contact with the liquid in the test vial. However, accidental exposure is possible, the agency notes.
“Infections from bacteria such as Enterococcus, Enterobacter, Klebsiella, and Serratia species can cause illness in people with compromised immune systems or those who are directly exposed to the contaminated liquid solution through standard handling, accidental spillage, or misuse of the product,” says the FDA.