Zipline is Delivering Covid-19 Test Samples in Ghana

Drone-delivery start up Zipline, who delivers critical and lifesaving products precisely where and when they are needed, has begun delivering Covid-19 test samples via drone in Ghana’s two largest cities, Accra and Kumasi.

Acra is the nation’s capital, and Kumasi is the country’s second-largest city.

This is the first time that autonomous drones have been used to make regular long-range deliveries into densely populated urban areas.

51 test samples were collected from patients at rural health facilities and transported to the company’s distribution center in Omenako, Ghana last Friday.

Zipline then delivered those 51 samples to the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research in Accra for testing and analysis.

The company said it expects to operate this new daily service for the duration of the government’s Covid-19 response efforts.

“Zipline is dedicated to helping Ghana in its fight against the Covid-19 pandemic,” said CEO Keller Rinaudo. “Using contactless drone delivery to transport Covid-19 test samples will allow the government to respond to the pandemic and help save lives more quickly.”