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Monkeypox virus test results document
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Labcorp to Begin Monkeypox Testing Today, Doubling Nationwide Testing Capacity

Labcorp will be accepting specimens from anywhere in the country

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC is one of the major operating components of the Department of Health and Human Services.

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Published:Jul 06, 2022
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Starting today, July 6, 2022, Labcorp will begin testing for monkeypox using CDC’s orthopoxvirus test (which detects all non-smallpox related orthopoxviruses, including monkeypox).

“The ability of commercial labs to test for monkeypox is a key pillar in our comprehensive strategy to combat this disease,” said CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, MD, MPH. “This will not only increase testing capacity but will make it more convenient for providers and patients to access tests by using existing provider-to-lab relationships.”

Labcorp will offer this testing at its largest facility in the United States and will be able to accept specimens from anywhere in the country. Labcorp expects to be able to perform up to 10,000 tests per week, which will double the current capacity provided through CDC’s Laboratory Response Network (LRN), which itself has rapidly expanded testing capacity over the last seven weeks.

On June 22, HHS announced

Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their health care provider about whether or not they need to get tested, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox. Health care providers, nationwide, can order the orthopoxvirus test from Labcorp just as they normally would order other tests. The public will not be able to go to a Labcorp lab and submit a specimen. Labcorp will use electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) to report results to jurisdictions as outlined in the CDC reporting guidance.

CDC anticipates additional commercial laboratories

- This press release was originally published on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website