KNOX COUNTY, Tenn. — In a nondescript building off Pellissippi Parkway, Integrity Laboratories technicians now work three shifts a day. The company now processes nearly all of the Knox County Health Department's COVID-19 tests.
"We're helping to be a small part in helping to quell this pandemic," lab founder and CEO Christian Clevenger said. "We are nearing 200 thousand tests."
Clevenger founded the lab eight years ago. During the pandemic, he's transitioned to focusing solely on test analysis for the coronavirus, serving hospitals, nursing homes and now the Health Department.
Before moving to Integrity Labs, the Health Department reported lagging test turnaround times of sometimes seven to ten days. Now, Clevenger says the county's tests come back within 48 hours.
"It gives the clinicians the ability to make the next step for that patient. It also allows us to be able to tamp down on the spread of this disease by reaching those individuals and quarantining them if necessary," he said.
"Because we're local—and proximity does mean a lot—because we have the capacity to literally receive these specimens same day sometimes within the same hour of collection even, we get started on them a lot faster."
Clevenger said faster turnaround times do not come at the expense of the lab's "gold standard" process.
"It's 100 percent accurate. We have FDA approval to identify well down to ten copies. What that means is we're able to identify the virus well before a patient ever becomes symptomatic," he said.
Records indicate the Heath Department pays the lab $100 per coronavirus test.