The Biden administration unveiled a new plan to vaccinate eligible Americans against monkeypox, prioritizing those who have been exposed to the virus in states with the highest infection rates.
Hundreds of thousands of doses of Bavarian Nordic A/S’s Jynneos vaccine will be made available under the administration’s new plan through a tiered allocation system, the US Department of Health and Human Services said Tuesday.
Local officials will also be able to order Emergent BioSolutions Inc.’s ACAM2000 vaccine, but its use is not recommended for everyone, including the immunocompromised, due to “significant side effects.”
HHS will work with state and local health departments to vaccinate those most at risk, primarily in the LGBTQ community or people who identify as men and have sex with men, a key part of the strategy to combat the outbreak. Cases have risen to more than 306 nationally, a number that experts say is likely an undercount due to a lack of testing.
“Our goal right now is to ensure that the limited supply of the Jynneos vaccine is distributed to those who can most immediately benefit from it, while we continue to secure additional doses of vaccine,” said HHS Under Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn. O’Connell. a declaration.
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