An Amazon worker in a warehouse during the coronavirus pandemic
Amazon has received authorization from the Food and Drug Administration for a Covid-19 test that it hopes to use to support its employee screening program.
The test is being developed by Amazon’s subsidiary STS Lab Holdco, according to an FDA dossier. The test is done through a nasal swab administered by individuals, either under the supervision of a health professional or at home.
Amazon plans to use the test among its workforce as part of its Covid-19 training and response program, according to a separate FDA document. Depending on their work schedule, employees may be scheduled for an on-site test or will be offered a collection kit to administer the test at home, the document states.
It is unclear whether Amazon intends to make the test available beyond the workforce or offer it commercially through its online marketplace. Amazon representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The FDA clearance letter is addressed to Cem Sibay, vice president of Amazon Labs, who was previously an executive director of the Amazon Prime unit. Business Insider reported last July that Sibay was exploited to lead Amazon’s efforts to build an in-house Covid-19 testing lab.
CNBC reported in June that Amazon has built a dedicated team to develop coronavirus testing capability, assigning researchers, program managers, procurement specialists and software engineers to support the effort. The company has also launched independent diagnostic laboratories in Sunnyvale, California and in Hebron, Kentucky.
Amazon has long viewed medical diagnosis as an area of future expansion. In 2018, he thought of buying a start-up to develop home health tests and operated a team dedicated to diagnosis within his “Grand Challenge” group.
FDA approval comes as Amazon continues to expand its testing program to warehouse and supplier employees. In February, Amazon said its Kentucky lab processed more than 1 million Covid-19 tests for front-line employees at more than 700 test locations.
Amazon said it has begun automatically assigning regular test schedules for some workers at its facilities, usually every two weeks, although assigned appointments are voluntary. Previously, employees could only register to be tested through an internal system.
The appointments correspond to the previously stated goal of Amazon to test most of the frontline workforce every two weeks. Earlier this week, Amazon said it would begin setting up on-site vaccination clinics in facilities in Missouri, Nevada and Kansas.
In October last year, Amazon revealed that nearly 20,000 front-line employees hired Covid-19 between March 1 and September 19. -19, among other coronavirus safety concerns.