Did you know that the Biden administration is working on a monkeypox vaccine? Well, they are, and they almost have enough to distribute to the high-risk population. One thing they’re doing is giving smaller doses. They are hoping one vial will equal five doses.
Since it was first authorized by the Food and Drug Administration on Aug. 9, White House officials say that some 3 in 4 health departments are now administering at least some doses of monkeypox vaccine with the “intradermal” approach.
But health departments are saying without specific needles and syringes they won’t be able to get five doses from each vial. They are only getting three, sometimes four, doses from each vial. The good news is that some 150,000 vials of the vaccine should be delivered by late September.
But is the vaccine helping? Is it slowing down monkeypox?
The looming vaccine milestone comes as public health officials say they are watching with guarded hope signs the monkeypox outbreak may be slowing in Europe and some parts of the United States.
Local health officials in cities like New York, which were among the earliest hotspots of the outbreak, now say the pace of newly reported cases has been slowing for weeks.
They’re all hopeful that the vaccine is helping to slow it down. But there are other factors that could be satisfying as well. The CDC is saying, “Given the unknown effectiveness of vaccination in this outbreak, people who are vaccinated should continue to take steps to protect themselves from infection.”
One of the CDC’s top-ranking officials says that reports sometimes lag. So more waves may be coming. She doesn’t want to comment on whether they’re “bending the curve” of monkeypox just yet. Christie also says, “Having a long career in outbreaks, I have learned not to get too excited by the initial data. So I can’t say anything more than cautious optimism.”
Source CBS News
