Topline
Amazon on Friday received emergency use authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for an at-home Covid-19 testing kit that it plans to use on its employees, the agency announced Friday.
The Ariete 1 sorting warehouse of the multinational Amazon on March 22, 2021 in Arzano, Italy.
Key Facts
Amazon’s COVID-19 Collection Kit allows workers to collect their own nasal swabs, either unsupervised at home or in the presence of a healthcare provider.
The company plans to automatically schedule appointments for workers every two weeks to be tested with the kit, Amazon told the FDA, though appointments will be voluntary.
If a worker does decide to use the testing kit, they can drop off their sample—sealed in a biohazard bag—at an Amazon dropbox, which will then be shipped to a lab for processing.
The test was developed by STS Lab Holdco, an Amazon subsidiary, and is a modification of a rapid test from BGI Genomics, the authorization says.
It’s unclear if Amazon plans to market the tests for use outside its workforce, or if it will be introduced into Amazon Care, the company’s recently announced telehealth initiative. (Amazon did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
Key Background
Amazon has dedicated considerable resources to developing its own testing regime for its massive workforce of more than 1.3 million people. The company has its own dedicated diagnostic labs, one in Kentucky and another in California, for processing tests, which it aims to conduct every two weeks. In October, Amazon revealed that nearly 20,000 frontline workers had tested positive for Covid-19, a disclosure that came after some workers said the company wasn’t doing enough to protect workers against the virus. Amazon has pointed to the fact that it conducts temperature checks, provides masks and frequent workplace sanitization, in addition to testing.
