White House: 5th lab to process monkeypox tests, increasing capacity

The White House announced Thursday that a fifth commercial laboratory, Aegis Sciences, will start processing Centers for Disease Control and Prevention tests for monkeypox.

Aegis Sciences will be processing tests from around the county at its Nashville site. The lab says it expects to be able to process up to 10,000 tests per week.

With the addition of this lab, the White House says the country’s monkeypox testing capacity will increase to 70,000 tests per week by the end of July.

In addition to Aegis Sciences, the other labs processing CDC monkeypox tests are Mayo Clinic Laboratories, Laboratory Response Network, Labcorp and Quest Diagnostics.

As of Thursday, the Minnesota Department of Health is reporting 10 confirmed cases of monkeypox statewide. Nationwide, the CDC is reporting 1,053 cases.

Anyone with a bumpy rash or other symptoms of the disease should talk to their provider about getting tested. Monkeypox is spread primarily through skin-to-skin contact, including the bedding and clothing of an infected person. The White House has implemented a vaccination strategy in addition to the testing.