               Home-delivery of COVID-19 Test Kits
Amazon Care to provide delivery and pick-up of “At-Home COVID-19 Test Sample Kits” in Seattle trial
Amazon care is ready to join hands with a new study initiative backed in part by the Gates Foundation that will certainly disperse at-home COVID-19 analysis kits, and afterward, deliver the gathered samples to FDA-approved test facilities. The health arm formed by Amazon – Amazon Care, initially formed for internal employee care, will be managing the home-delivery of COVID-19 test kits, in addition to the transport of collected samples to the test labs, as initially reported by CNBC.
A couple of days ago the FDA updated its guidance to specifically exclude at-home testing from the Emergency Use Authorization that is in place to allow expanded private lab testing of COVID-19 cases, the arrangement with the Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN) and Amazon Care avoids the use of typical mail or package shipment network. The Amazon Care employees who are doing the test kit drop-offs and also distributions are trained in the proper handling of sensitive medical products, and the SCAN project is for a limited research venture carried out in order to aid “understand exactly how coronavirus is spreading out in the Greater Seattle.”
The availability of kits will certainly be limited, however, it will include the swab test that is being conducted at drive-through testing centers in the UNITED STATE. If a sample test positive for COVID-19, the individual who gave the sample to SCAN will be contacted by a healthcare member to carry out the further steps, consisting of guidance on exactly how to avoid transmission and seek treatment.
SCAN is the outcome of collaboration by Seattle & King County’s Public Health department, and a team of hospitals and health organizations that developed the Seattle Flu Study, a similar project implied to examine the spread of the typical seasonal flu within the community. The study and data modeling work done for that research study have been adapted to the research of COVID-19, as well as the flu research study has actually been put on hold while scientists focus on the COVID-19 pandemic instead.
 Author: Sruthi S
