Home Test Recall: COVID Rapid Test Kits Distributed in Orange County Recalled by Manufacturer

Many of us have felt the struggle of getting our hands on at-home COVID testing kits lately.  Right before the holidays, it seemed like these tests were the hottest items in the Hudson Valley and beyond.

Last month, counties across the Hudson Valley announced that they would be providing free testing kits for residents, and began distributing at various locations.  This past week, on Thursday January 13 specifically in Orange County, a number of at-home testing kits were distributed in the towns of Wallkill and New Windsor.  An announcement Friday afternoon indicated that those tests had been recalled by the manufacturer.

Orange County's Department of General Services, in an announcement on the Orange County Government facebook page, indicated that the Flowflex SARS-COV-2 antigen rapid test kits that were given out on January 13th have been recalled by the manufacturer from distribution in the United States.

Any resident who received a Flowflex test in Wallkill or New Windsor can exchange their kit for a new one.  The date for the exchange has not yet been released.

Those particular tests were also scheduled to be given out by the county in the Town of Monroe on Friday, but that event was postponed.

Orange County's Commissioner of General Services, James Burpoe, shared the following regarding the recall:

The vendor represented that the kits were FDA authorized for U.S. markets.  We have learned they are not FDA authorized, but are European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved for distribution in Europe. This appears to be nothing more than a trade and pricing dispute having nothing to do with the efficacy and safety of the product.

The news of the at-home testing kit recall comes as Governor Hochul announced that New York is 'nowhere near the end' of the winter COVID surge, and as Dutchess County residents heard from the County Health Commissioner about why she believes COVID positivity rates no longer matter.