Amazon pulling the plug on virtual health care service Amazon Care

Amazon is shutting down the hybrid virtual, in-home care service it's spent years developing, a surprising move that underscores the challenges it faces as it moves into health care.

The service, called Amazon Care, will end by Dec. 31, according to an email sent to staff by Neil Lindsay, senior vice president of Amazon Health Services. Amazon Care was launched in 2019 for Seattle-based Amazon's Washington state employees, who served as trial users before the company made it available last year to its workers in all 50 states.

The service connects patients virtually with doctors and nurses who can provide treatment 24 hours a day. It does not have physical locations, but offers in-person services for things like vaccinations and flu testing in several cities, including Seattle and Washington, D.C.