Amazon extends COVID-19 testing to customers

Consumers can order virtually anything on Amazon.com – and that now includes at-home COVID-19 testing kits.

Building on the success of its proprietary in-house COVID-19 testing program, Amazon has received emergency use authorization (EUA) from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Amazon COVID-19 Test Collection Kit DTC.

Customers can use the test collection kit at home, and the kits are processed by Amazon’s in-house laboratory using a method known as RT-PCR. The collection kit is now available to U.S. customers on Amazon.com for $39.99 and does not require a prescription. It is authorized for use by individuals 18 years or older, with or without COVID-19 symptoms. The collection kit includes Amazon Prime delivery at no additional cost.

To use the kit, customers take a quick sample collection using a gentle, lower nasal swab. Amazon says the process, including test registration and collection, takes less than 20 minutes to complete. The collection kit is FSA- and HAS-eligible and comes with pre-paid next-day return delivery to Amazon’s diagnostics laboratory in Hebron, Ky. Customers will receive test results within 24 hours of their sample arriving at the lab, and results are available through Amazon's secure website AmazonDx.com.

“Even as COVID-19 vaccinations continue, widespread access to reliable and affordable COVID-19 testing remains a critical tool in the fight against the spread of the virus,” said Cem Sibay, the Amazon VP in charge of the company’s COVID-19 testing work. “The Amazon collection kit offers customers the convenience they’ve come to expect from Amazon.com by providing access to COVID-19 testing whenever and wherever they need it. The test collection kit provides highly accurate and timely results, helping customers feel more confident as they safely return to travel, work, college, and daily life.”