Monkeypox testing capacity in the United States doubled this week after Labcorp unveiled its own commercial tests on Wednesday. The network of clinical laboratories will receive samples from across the United States and will be able to process up to 10,000 tests per week at their main laboratory in North Carolina. “The ability of commercial laboratories to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Valensky said Wednesday. “This will not only increase testing capacity, but make it more convenient for providers and patients to access testing using existing provider-laboratory relationships.” FILE: Photo illustration showing positive monkeypox tests. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo/Reuters) Healthcare providers can order monkeypox tests directly from Labcorp, allowing people to give samples at local clinics. EU SIGNS MONKEY POX VACCINE AGREEMENT WITH BAVARIAN SCANDINAVIANS Monkeypox, a virus similar to smallpox but with less severe symptoms, first hit the United States in mid-May after Massachusetts identified a case. Since then, more than 600 cases have been identified in dozens of states, according to the CDC. Images showing examples of rashes and lesions caused by the monkeypox virus are shown in this handout image obtained from the official website of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on July 1, 2022. (K Health Security Agency/CDC/ Handout via REUTERS/Reuters) GET THE FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO BY CLICKING HERE Worldwide, more than 6,000 cases have been reported in 58 countries. “Testing remains a challenge and it is very likely that there are a significant number of undetected cases. Europe is the current epicenter of the epidemic, accounting for over 80% of monkeypox cases worldwide,” the director-general of the World Health Organization Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a press conference on Wednesday.
