From Voice-Integrated Toothbrush to Wearable Halo, 2020 Was Amazon’s Year to Explore Healthcare Space

Amazon’s healthcare exploration in 2020
Image: Bryan Angelo, Unsplash

For Amazon, the year 2020 was a very busy year. The company expanded its employee health offerings and launched its first wearable device.

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Amazon’s third-quarter 2020 fiscal results show that the e-commerce giant was able to increase its sales and cash flow, despite disruption due to the pandemic.

Amazon started the year by launching Amazon Care, virtual primacy care for its employees and their families living in Seattle. Amazon Care enabled patients to access care through multiple channels including texting, video chat and a mobile care clinic, where a nurse will come to the patient’s home or office. The patients are also able to get their medications to deliver via a “Care Courier” at their home or office.

2020 was also the year when the world was devastated by Coronavirus. There were several outbreaks at Amazon warehouses. In June, the company announced that it was ramping up plans to test its fulfillment center workers for coronavirus, reports MobiHealthNews.

Amazon's voice assistant 'Alexa'
Image: Andres Urena, Unsplash

In August, Amazon entered the wearables space by launching Amazon Halo, an on-wrist health tracker with an accompanying app. The device has a fabric band and doesn’t have a screen. The sensors track activity, temperature, and heart rate.

Amazon inked a deal with Oral-B to launch a voice-integrated toothbrush system that gives users tips on their brushing habits. The joint system includes an Oral-B electric toothbrush, an Alexa built-in smart charger base, an Oral-B brush head, and a Quick-Start guide. Besides the health focus, the Amazon built-in can play music, listen to the news and let users order more brush heads, MobiHealthNews reported.

Read more Amazon’s Halo Fitness Tracker Can Detect Your Body Fat and Tone of Voice

In November, launched a digital pharmacy, called Amazon Pharmacy, that lets customers order and manage their prescription medications online and get them delivered at home.

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Sam Draper
Sam Draper () is Online Editor at WT | Wearable Technologies specialized in the field of sports and fitness but also passionated about any new lifestyle gadget on the market. Sam can be contacted at press(at)wearable-technologies.com.