Amazon has received FDA authorization for a COVID-19 test that can be carried out at home using nasal swabs

• Amazon received FDA approval for a COVID-19 test, which is made by its subsidiary STS Lab Holdco.
• The test can be conducted with or without supervision from a healthcare professional.
• The company plans to use the test to boost its COVID-19 preparedness and response program.

Amazon has received approval from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for a COVID-19 test, developed by its subsidiary STS Lab Holdco, according to an FDA filing.

Individuals will be able to carry out the nasal-swab test alone at home or with help from a professional.

The company plans to use the test among its employees as part of its effort to bolster its COVID-19 preparedness and response program, according to a different FDA document.

Amazon staff may be timetabled for an onsite test or have the option to receive an at-home kit to conduct the test at home, the document states.

The authorization also mentions Amazon's employee screening program, in which some staff will be automatically scheduled for a test approximately every 14 days, upon employee discretion. Previously, staff could only sign up to get tested through an internal system.

The letter of approval is addressed to Cem Sibay, the vice president of Amazon Labs. Last year, Amazon tapped Cem Sibay, a 15-year company veteran, to lead its efforts to build an in-house COVID-19 testing lab, Insider previously reported.

Over the past year, Amazon has ramped up its COVID-19 testing capabilities for its workforce. Last January, the company announced it was selling an FDA-approved at-home saliva COVID-19 test for $110, curated by DxTerity, a genomics company. All employees have to do is provide a small amount of saliva in an empty tube bottle, and then mail it to a Los Angeles-based lab.

Figures show the US has 30.8 million COVID-19 cases. This means tests are in great demand. Last October, Amazon reported that nearly 20,000 employees contracted the virus between March 1 and September 19.

An Amazon spokesperson told Insider. "Amazon decided early on during the pandemic that COVID-19 testing would be a critical tool to ensure the health and safety of frontline employees. We have been working closely with the FDA since May 2020 to enable testing for our front-line employees using a state-of-the-art lab we built from scratch - creating new testing capacity at no cost to the healthcare system."

They added: "We are grateful for the FDA's support and partnership as we have worked to support the safety of our employees, their families, and the communities they live in."