A coronavirus testing lab is in the works for Pflugerville. Curative Inc. announced Sept. 8 plans to open its third facility in the country at 1700 Royston Lane.
“We are proud to bring our third laboratory to Pflugerville to support COVID-19 testing locally and to improve testing capacity for the entire state," said Fred Turner, the CEO and co-founder of Curative, in a news release. "The great workforce, location, and community partnership opportunities made Pflugerville an easy choice for expanding our laboratory operations."
Curative provides oral-fluid swab testing, which is an alternative to nasopharyngeal testing for COVID-19. Turnaround times for the tests average between 24-48 hours, according to the release.
"The self-administered oral fluid swab involves having the person cough first, which releases virus from the upper and lower respiratory tract," the release states. "The virus is then caught in the saliva, the patient then swabs the inside of their cheeks and the roofs of their mouths. The entire Curative test is done without having to come into close contact with others, therefore eliminating the need for [personal protective equipment] changes."
