Online retail giant Amazon has launched two Covid-19 PCR testing
services in the UK, including day two tests for international arrivals required
under the government’s travel policy.
Travellers using the service will be able to buy a PCR test
kit online for £34.99, which includes one-day delivery and a pre-paid return
label for shipping swabs to Amazon’s lab in Manchester, which has been used to
support the government’s testing efforts throughout the pandemic. When they place an order for a kit, travellers will be given a booking reference number to include on their Passenger Locator Form to meet entry requirements.
Each kit includes the supplies needed to take a nasal swab
and results are returned within 24 hours of the sample arriving at the lab.
In addition, Amazon is offering a general testing service
for anyone wishing to test before meeting friends and family or returning to
work or school.
According to Amazon, its lab uses the RT-PCR method, which
is the recommended diagnostic approach by the Department of Health and Social
Care and the NHS. The tests used meet the requirements of the Medicines and
Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
The UK launch follows the introduction of Amazon’s at-home
test kits in the US earlier this year.
“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, Amazon’s director in charge of the testing programme.