White House Announces Plan For Monkeypox Vaccines

On Tuesday, the Department of Health and Human Services announced its plan to distribute the monkeypox vaccine around the country.

?Breaking: Biden administration announces mass #monkeypox vaccination plan. The US will release supplies of Jynneos vaccine (which requires 2 doses 4 weeks apart): 56,000 doses immediately; 240,000 doses in the coming weeks; 750,000 by summer's end; 500,000 in the fall. ???

— Benjamin Ryan (@benryanwriter) June 28, 2022

Approximately 56,000 doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine are currently being sent to clinics, and another 240,000 will be sent in the next few weeks.

“While monkeypox poses minimal risk to most Americans, we are doing everything we can to offer vaccines to those at high-risk of contracting the virus,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra.

“This new strategy allows us to maximize the supply of currently available vaccines and reach those who are most vulnerable to the current outbreak,” he added.

Over the summer, 750,000 doses will be made available to Americans, and another 500,000 with follow in the fall, HHS reported.

Breaking: Biden Administration has announced nationwide testing and vaccine strategy to combat Monkeypox in the United States. HHS set to distribute 56k doses immediately and more than 200k in the coming weeks.

— Human Rights Campaign (@HRC) June 29, 2022

The vaccine is currently available for those at a higher risk of contracting the virus, including “those who had close physical contact with someone diagnosed with monkeypox” and “men who have sex with men who have recently had multiple sex partners”.

New York City and Washington, D.C., were the first big cities to offer the vaccine but quickly ran out.

The Jynneos vaccine requires two doses to be administered four weeks apart. There are still doses of the ACAM2000 vaccine available, but it has potentially serious side effects.

According to the CDC, the U.S. has recorded 306 monkeypox infections since the first case in Massachusetts.