Peter Andig | AFP | Getty Images
Amazon on Thursday released extensive data on the spread of coronavirus among its employees, revealing for the first time that more than 19,000 workers have been infected with the virus this year.
March 1 and Sept. Between 19, Amazon confirmed or confirmed 19,816 Covid-19 cases among about 1.37 million Amazon and entire food markets front-line employees in the U.S.
Total does not include Amazon’s network of third-party delivery drivers, which governs part of the final-mile delivery. It’s not clear how many contracted drivers make up Amazon’s third-party delivery network, but the company previously said it added about 85,000 jobs in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Spain and Germany.
At that level, Amazon said the infection rate among employees in the U.S. was 422% lower than expected compared to the “normal population rate,” and that if Amazon’s infection rate had corresponded with the community, the total number of cases would have reached 33,9595૨. , The company said.
The company has long maintained that the rate of infection in its warehouses is lower than the rates in surrounding communities, although it has been disputed by workers, especially in the Amazon warehouse in Minnesota, where infection rates have risen at the community level.
Amazon also gave an update on its progress in providing coronavirus testing to front line workers. Thousands of tests are taken every day and Amazon expects to grow 50,000 tests a day on 650 features by November.
CNBC previously reported that Amazon’s goal is to test a large number of its front-line workers every two weeks, with employees testing themselves through nasal swabs. The company had earlier said it would invest $ 4 billion of its expected Q2 in its Covid-19 response and spend 1 1 billion on testing throughout the year.
Amazon has a dedicated team of research scientists, program managers, procurement specialists and software software engineers to rapidly enhance its testing capabilities. With teams focused on these efforts in Sunnyvale, California and Hebron Kentucky, it has built its own lab to develop coronavirus testing capabilities.
This is breaking news, please check for updates.
.
