• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia

Trendingnow

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar

3

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock

1

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind

2

Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar

3

Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
HealthCoronavirus

FedEx is shipping tens of thousands of coronavirus tests to labs each week

Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
Phil Wahba
By
Phil Wahba
Phil Wahba
Senior Writer
Down Arrow Button Icon
April 3, 2020, 2:00 PM ET
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

The recently-announced initiative to offer coronavirus tests in the parking lots of several major U.S. retailers and at community centers is starting to ramp up, according to one of the delivery companies working on it.

FedEx Express, the delivery giant’s rush service, told Fortune that it is now handling the delivery of swabs taken at federal community-based sites, as well as at a handful of drive-up sites at national store chains, to testing labs.

The initiative to use big retailers’ large stores was announced three weeks ago, on March 13, by President Trump and the chief executives of Walmart and Target and senior executives of Walgreens and CVS pharmacy, along with C-suite executives at the health care companies carrying out the tests, Quest Diagnostics and LabCorp.

The goal was to make testing widely available by offering them in the parking lots of the country’s largest store chains. Those retailers operate nearly 30,000 stores in all parts of the country. The ramp-up has been slow as the companies figure out logistics and wait for tests to become more widely available.

But the volume is starting to rise, says FedEx Express. The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) told Fortune on Friday that there are currently 41 federal community-based testing sites.

FedEx Express CEO Donald Colleran said that because the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and HHS need swabs to be delivered overnight to labs, even if taken on the weekend, the company has added 28 flight legs by tapping its network of planes and trucks. It does not typically offer overnight service on weekends.

The $14-billion-a-year FedEx unit had to quickly spring into action to create that extra infrastructure to pick up tests and deliver them: Colleran said the White House approached the company on March 13, the day of the press conference.

“We have a really unique seat to what’s going on,” said Colleran, who took the reins of FedEx Express last year after more than three decades at the company.

The initial test case was at a CVS pharmacy store’s parking lot last week in Shrewsbury, Mass., just outside Boston—the first drive-up location. Others have followed, including two Walmart parking lots near Chicago and at a Rite-Aid in Philadelphia. At first, the tests were available only for emergency workers and not the general public. But at some locations, including the Shrewsbury CVS, that is being expanded to people 65 and older with symptoms. Last weekend alone, FedEx Express delivered 20,000 tests to labs.

Because of the nature of the item being shipped, FedEx uses extra precautions, Colleran said. FedEx creates a “geo-fence around each package, which will include several specimens” so it can be tracked in real time on its way to the destination lab. The packages have features to monitor temperature and light variances to protect the tests.

“We’re the quarterback in all this in terms of logistics,” Colleran said.

Across the country, there is a race to get faster-result coronavirus tests widely available for the broader public. Most people cannot get a test if they have no symptoms, but if someone gets the green light for a test, it typically takes days to get the test done. As of April 1, only 1.3 million tests had been given in the United States.

More coronavirus coverage from Fortune:

—Millions won’t be able to pay their bills this month. What financial experts advise
—What small businesses applying to the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program need to know
—The worst part of losing 10M jobs in 2 weeks? The real number may be much higher
—Why the U.S. is changing its mind on coronavirus face masks
—Americans face hunger crisis as SNAP benefits are harder for some to get
—Tax-exempt student loan assistance is now law. It’s time to make it permanent
—Hospitals are running low on the most critical supply of all: oxygen
—PODCAST: Two health care CEOs on why coronavirus tests and vaccines are the ammunition needed to fight COVID-19
—VIDEO: 401(k) withdrawal penalties waived for anyone hurt by COVID-19

Subscribe to Outbreak, a daily newsletter roundup of stories on the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on global business. It’s free to get it in your inbox.

About the Author
Phil Wahba
By Phil WahbaSenior Writer
LinkedIn iconTwitter icon

Phil Wahba is a senior writer at Fortune primarily focused on leadership coverage, with a prior focus on retail.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon
Add Fortune on Google for similar content.

Latest in Health

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • TikTok icon
  • YouTube icon

Latest in Health

NordicTrack Commercial 1750 Treadmill Review (2026): Expert Reviewed
HealthDietary Supplements
NordicTrack Commercial 1750 Treadmill Review (2026): Expert Reviewed
By Emily PharesJuly 23, 2026
11 hours ago
r
HealthDrugs
RFK Jr. calls himself a ‘big fan,’ so does Joe Rogan. Now an FDA panel is reviewing half a dozen peptides
By Matthew Perrone and The Associated PressJuly 23, 2026
11 hours ago
mm
CommentaryLeadership
Michael Muthukrishna: The ‘lone genius’ myth is wrong and it’s holding back your business
By Michael MuthukrishnaJuly 23, 2026
16 hours ago
glp
Commentaryobesity
The GLP-1 paradox: too expensive to cover, too effective to cut
By Bryan Sivak and Elina OnitskanskyJuly 23, 2026
16 hours ago
Hasbro’s growth strategy isn’t just about kids anymore—it’s about ‘kidults’
Healthchief executive officer (CEO)
Hasbro’s growth strategy isn’t just about kids anymore—it’s about ‘kidults’
By Phil WahbaJuly 23, 2026
20 hours ago
The Top Fitness and Wellness Gifts (2026): For the Busy Gym-Goer in Your Life
HealthFitness
The Top Fitness and Wellness Gifts (2026): For the Busy Gym-Goer in Your Life
By Christina SnyderJuly 22, 2026
1 day ago

Most Popular

The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
Real Estate
The millennial generation has split, new Fed research shows: Those over 35 are edging toward boomer-style wealth, while everyone else falls behind
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
1 day ago
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
Economy
Scott Bessent casually says the U.S. has more than $1 trillion in gold—and that it doesn’t matter for the dollar
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 22, 2026
1 day ago
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
Success
Mark Cuban says he has the solution to growing income inequality, and it's to reward every employee—from CEO to janitor—with company stock
By Sasha RogelbergJuly 20, 2026
3 days ago
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
Personal Finance
Spain lifted the World Cup, but the IRS still gets a cut of its $50 million pay day as players, coaches and refs all face complex U.S. “jock taxes”
By Joshua HongJuly 23, 2026
20 hours ago
'The man who dies rich dies disgraced': The last time America had such wealth inequality, Andrew Carnegie knew he had to give it all away
Success
'The man who dies rich dies disgraced': The last time America had such wealth inequality, Andrew Carnegie knew he had to give it all away
By Nick LichtenbergJuly 22, 2026
1 day ago
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of July 23, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerJuly 23, 2026
17 hours ago

© 2026 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.