Amazon’s top priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has been the health and safety of our employees and customers. We’ve invested billions in that effort, including building an in-house COVID-19 testing programme to ensure front-line employees have access to free, regular testing with state-of-the-art diagnostic laboratories in the U.S. and the UK.
Our lab in Manchester complemented the UK Government’s testing efforts and has now processed over 1.4 million tests from tens of thousands of front-line employees in the UK, making Amazon a leader in employer-driven COVID-19 testing.
We have learned a lot through that process, and earlier this year we launched at-home COVID-19 PCR test collection kits for our customers in the U.S. The feedback has been positive – customers have told us they appreciate access to a reliable, convenient, and affordable test – and we’re excited to extend this COVID-19 testing service to our customers through Amazon.co.uk.
We will provide two COVID testing services to customers in the UK. Our General Testing service can be used by customers for peace of mind when meeting friends, family or returning to a workplace, school, or university. Our International Arrivals service fulfils government entry testing requirements and can be used for travel into the UK.
Customers can use the test collection kit at home, and the kits are processed by Amazon’s in-house laboratory using a sensitive method known as RT-PCR. This method is the recommended diagnostic approach by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the NHS and the tests used by Amazon meet the requirements for use as set out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Amazon is listed with the DHSC as a general COVID-19 testing provider.
“Widespread access to reliable and affordable COVID-19 testing remains a critical tool in the fight against the spread of the virus,” said Antoine Dreyfus, the Amazon Director at the helm of the company’s COVID-19 testing work in the UK. “The Amazon test collection kit offers customers the convenience they’ve come to expect from Amazon.co.uk by providing access to highly accurate COVID-19 testing, at an affordable price."
The collection kit is now available to UK customers on Amazon.co.uk for £34.99. All age groups can use the at-home sample collection kit (adult supervision will be required for minors), which includes One-Day Delivery at no additional cost. It’s also easy to use and requires a quick sample collection using a gentle, non-invasive, lower nasal swab. The process, including test registration and collection, takes less than 20 minutes to complete.
The collection kit comes with a pre-paid return label for shipping your test back to Amazon’s state-of-the-art diagnostics laboratory in Manchester. Customers will receive test results within 24 hours of their sample arriving at the laboratory, and results are available through Amazon's secure website AmazonDx.co.uk.
