Amazon (AMZN) To Deliver Test Kits To Combat COVID-19 Spread

Amazon (NASDAQ:AMZN) is currently focused on bolstering initiatives to combat the novel coronavirus pandemic.

The company’s latest to move to join forces with a research program namely Seattle Coronavirus Assessment Network (SCAN) to deliver and pick up COVID-19 test kits in Seattle is a testament to the same.

Notably, SCAN is funded by Bill Gates’ Gates Foundation and comprises a group of medical, public health and research organizations.

Further, the test-kits initiative will be carried out by its arm, Amazon Care, which is dedicated to its employees and families.

Amazon strives to mitigate the risks of spreading COVID-19 infection with this initiative that focuses on people who are feeling sick. People who are asymptomatic will also be targeted.

These people will be given nasal swabs, which will be collected for testing purpose. On positive detection, the concerned person will be contacted.

This endeavor of Amazon is a crucial one amid the coronavirus-induced crisis. This is likely instill investor optimism in the stock.

Amazon.com, Inc. Price and Consensus

Amazon.com, Inc. Price and Consensus

Amazon.com, Inc. price-consensus-chart | Amazon.com, Inc. Quote

Amazon Joins COVID-19 Testing Move

With the latest initiative, Amazon joins the pack of other tech companies including Alphabet (NASDAQ:GOOGL) , Facebook (NASDAQ:FB) and Alibaba (NYSE:BABA) , which are taking strong measures to help government and people efficiently manage this pandemic situation across the world.

Notably, Alphabet’s health-care division called Verily recently launched COVID-19 screening and testing website under Project Baseline. This particular site offers screening and potential free testing of coronavirus. The website requires users to begin with the eligibility questionnaire.

Further, Google recently launched a website in the United States, which offers information related to coronavirus symptoms, treatment and preventive remedies from the World Health Organization.

Alibaba recently presented its cloud-based coronavirus diagnostic tool to the European health systems. Notably, the tool is a Machine Learning (ML) based software that helps in chest scans and is likely to accelerate the COVID-19 testing process.

Meanwhile, Facebook CEO’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) is working with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) to increase the number of COVID-19 tests to 1,000 per day in the Bay Area.

We note that competition is intensifying among tech companies, which are pulling all stops to combat the coronavirus pandemic.

Amazon’s Anti-COVID-19 Measures

Nevertheless, Amazon’s strengthening anti-COVID-19 measures in a bid to curb the deadly virus remains noteworthy.

Apart from the latest move, the company’s cloud computing arm Amazon Web Services (AWS) has announced a new program namely AWS Diagnostic Development Initiative. Notably, the company is investing $20 million in it and aims at accelerating the development of a faster COVID-19 testing.

On retail front, the company’s Whole Foods stores will dedicate an entire hour to serve only senior citizens in an attempt to keep them safe from crowd as they are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection.

Further, the company has taken an initiative to bolster its Same-Day Delivery program by making same-day delivery service available in the cities of Philadelphia, Phoenix, Orlando and Dallas for the Prime members.

Furthermore, the company has built mini-fulfillment centers, which are first-of-their-kind buildings. Notably, the new facilities are located closer to customers, which is likely to help Amazon in reducing the number of hours taken to deliver orders via same-day delivery services.

We believe all these endeavors will continue to drive the company’s customer and investor momentum in the near term.

Currently, Amazon carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

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