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VERIFY: Is there a drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic in Austin?

A Reddit post claimed a drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic had opened in Austin.

AUSTIN, Texas — On Friday, a post popped up in the CoronaVirusTX subreddit, claiming a drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic had opened in Austin near the Domain. KVUE set out to Verify whether that was true.

THE QUESTION

Is there a drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic at the Baylor Scott & White facility near the Domain?

PSA: Drive thru testing seemingly available in Austin from CoronaVirusTX

THE ANSWER

Yes. Baylor Scott & White opened a drive-thru coronavirus testing clinic at their facility at 2608 Brockton Drive, near Braker Lane, on Friday.

As of Monday, however, Baylor Scott & White now offers drive-thru testing sites at 425 University Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78665 and 5251 West US Highway 290 Austin, TX 78735. The Austin North Burnet site is not active at this time.

SOURCES

Baylor Scott & White Senior Marketing and Public Relations Consultant Christy Millweard.

WHAT WE FOUND

Millweard confirmed the new clinic is designed so patients can drive up, take a COVID-19 test and drive away without ever leaving their car.

However, you can't just drive right up. Patients must complete a COVID-19 screening questionnaire at MyBSWHealth.com or on the MyBSWHealth app. The screening tool uses CDC-recommended questions and allows Baylor Scott & White to appropriately identify patients who need additional follow-up. Based on the severity of a patient's symptoms, they will be instructed whether or not to go to the drive-thru clinic.

On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott announced that San Antonio was in the process of opening the state's first drive-thru coronavirus testing facility, adding that similar facilities were also in the works for Austin and Dallas. Abbott said he expected at least two facilities, if not all three, to be fully operational in the coming weeks.

"My team is in working with the cities of San Antonio and Dallas – and is in conversation with the City of Austin – to also implement drive-thru testing sites that will be run and managed at the local level," Abbott said Friday.

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According to a statement from the governor's office, the San Antonio drive-thru facility "will serve first responders, healthcare workers, operators of critical infrastructure and key resources, and certain high-risk patients."

Abbott tweeted about the Baylor Scott & White clinic on Sunday, saying that it "adds to testing centers in San Antonio and the centers opening in Houston and Dallas later this week." He also said drive-thru testing will continue to increase.

In addition to having patients pre-screen prior to going to the drive-thru clinic, Baylor Scott & White is also implementing additional precautions at its facilities. Starting on Monday at 8 a.m., visitors and patients will use designated entrances and be screened upon arrival. Visitation is also being limited to two visitors per patient during visiting hours; no visitors under the age of 16; and no large groups in waiting rooms.

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