More than three months since rapid antigen tests were made widely available in Australia, the country's health department has only just warned people they shouldn't be eating, drinking or smoking 30 minutes before a saliva test.
RATs have been available over the counter since November, but the advice has only just been widely publicised.
As of January 31, there was no warning on the top of the TGA website - that changed today.
It says people should "not eat, drink, smoke, brush your teeth, or chew gum for 10-30 minutes (refer to the instructions provided with your test kit for the recommended timing) before collecting saliva for a Covid-19 self-test as it may produce an incorrect result."
The updated advice was also tweeted out by the TGA -Australia's medicines and medical devices regulator - attracting criticism from many Australians.
"This info could have been helpful, months ago" one commented.
Another user wrote "this advice should have been better disseminated earlier."
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