Anywhere from 800,000 to 1 million COVID-19 tests expired in a state stockpile, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis revealed during a Jan. 6 news conference, NBC2 News reported.
Revelation of the expired tests in a warehouse came after the state's agriculture commissioner, Nikki Fried, accused the governor of stockpiling tests that were soon to expire, according to the report.
The governor countered that he'd wanted to distribute "a bunch" of the tests to long-term care facilities when they were first received, but the facilities didn't have staff on hand to accept them.
Mr. DeSantis said he's asked the federal government to extend the expiration date of the discovered tests so that they can still be used.
The Palm Beach Post reported that Mr. DeSantis plans to distribute 1 million at-home COVID-19 test kits to nursing homes and "senior-heavy" communities statewide.