The answer is “no.” They are not.
I woke up 2 days ago feeling fine. By 11:00 AM, I was freezing! I rummaged around for the next hour looking for my thermometer, and another 30 minutes putting in a new battery. Finally, I took my temp and it was just over 102°. Next order of business was to take a COVID test.
Checking the package, I noticed it expired in 2022. I figure it’s not like milk… it should be just fine. My test was positive. I let the pesky neighbors know because they’d been around me at Christmastime. They were pressuring me to get to a doctor for Paxlovid.
I had to wonder though… was the test accurate since it had expired? I did a delivery order with a new test and guess what?
Yup, negative.
The fever lasted about 24-hours and all I’m left with now is a bit of a cough and a runny nose. I’m pretty darned sure I’ll live.
Now you know: The Boston Globe was bought by the New York Times in 1993 for $1.1 billion, one of the most expensive print purchases in history, then was sold for $70 million in 2013 to the Red Sox/Liverpool owner. It lost 90% of its value in 20 years.