The government is once again offering free at-home COVID tests. And if you saved some from the last time they were issued, now would be a good time to double-check their expiration dates. Dr. Daniel Rhoads is a microbiologist for Cleveland Clinic. He says if a person uses an expired COVID test, they risk getting a “false negative” even if they are actually sick. However, the opposite is true for a “false positive.” If the expired test shows a positive result, it’s typically accurate.