Monkeypox vaccines to be distributed

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WHEC) – The US will immediately distribute nearly 300,000 monkeypox vaccines

This comes as cases surge across the nation. The US Department of Health and Human Services will send 56,000 doses of the two-dose vaccine immediately to areas with high transmission. They will also provide guidance to state, territorial, tribal, and local health officials to aid their planning and response efforts.

Another 240,000 doses will be distributed over the next few weeks. The CDC is prioritizing initial access to communities with the highest numbers of cases and people who have been in close contact with someone who has been diagnosed with monkeypox.

“Within days of the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the United States, we quickly began deploying vaccines and treatment to help protect the American public and limit the spread of the virus,” said HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra. “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. This new strategy allows us to maximize the supply of currently available vaccines and reach those who are most vulnerable to the current outbreak.”