Get the latest Syracuse news delivered right to your inbox.
Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Some of the 300 FlowFlex COVID-19 test kits Syracuse University acquired for the fall 2022 semester may be counterfeit, Vice Chancellor Mike Haynie announced in a campus-wide email Thursday.

The university learned of the potentially counterfeit tests late in the day on Wednesday, Haynie wrote. After becoming aware a “small number” of the tests may be fraudulent, the university inspected FlowFlex test kits currently in vending machines and the reserve supply to ensure authenticity.

The university believes some of the potentially counterfeit tests were distributed through campus vending machines, Haynie wrote in the email, though the number of potentially counterfeit tests is unknown. iHealth brand testing kits acquired and distributed by the university are not potentially fraudulent, the email said.

Any person who purchased a FlowFlex testing kit from a campus vending machine prior to university inspection on Thursday can acquire a free replacement test by emailing sucovidtesting@syr.edu.

Haynie thanked an SU faculty member who identified one of the potentially counterfeit test kits and reported it to the university.

“Thanks to their quick action, our team was able to move with urgency to identify and dispose of any potentially fraudulent test kits in our campus supply,” Haynie said. “We regret any inconvenience this may have caused.”

This post will be updated with additional reporting

Published on September 1, 2022 at 1:42 pm

Contact Jana: jlseal@syr.edu | @JanaLoSeal