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Towns donates $100K to Mayo Clinic for coronavirus testing

The donation is expected to help increase testing capacity from 200 per day to over 1,000 tests per day in the coming weeks.
Credit: AP
Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns flashes three fingers after scoring a 3-pointer during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Sacramento Kings in Sacramento, Calif., Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. The Kings won 113-109. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Even though he's not on the court, Minnesota Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns is still making an impact.

The star center announced on his Instagram that he's donating $100,000 to the Mayo Clinic as they introduce a new test to detect the virus that causes the coronavirus.

“Our team has been working around the clock for the past month to develop a test for COVID-19,” said Dr. William Morice II, chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at Mayo Clinic on the company's website. “We are blown away by Karl’s gesture to help us fast-track offering testing to more patients across Minnesota and the nation.”

According to a statement on the Mayo Clinic's website, the donation is expected to help increase testing capacity from 200 per day to over 1,000 tests per day in the coming weeks.

In Towns' post, he wrote: 

@mayoclinic has begun rolling out a test to detect the virus that causes COVID-19. My hope is that we can fight this virus quicker and more efficiently by increasing the testing capabilities and availability and Mayo Clinic’s overall COVID-19 response. This is why I will be donating $100K to support these efforts. Thank you to the Mayo Clinic workers and all health care workers who are working around the clock to treat us. You are our heroes.  

Towns and the Timberwolves have been sidelined since the NBA suspended its season because of coronavirus concerns, but Towns' donation might just be the best assist he'll ever make.

KARE 11’s coverage of the coronavirus is rooted in Facts, not Fear. Visit kare11.com/coronavirus for comprehensive coverage, learn more about the symptoms, and keep tabs on the cases around the world here. Have a question? Text it to us at 763-797-7215. 

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