The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced it is distributing another 786,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine as cases continue to spread in the U.S.
The agency said Thursday that the additional vaccines that will be sent out to states and localities will build on the 338,000 doses already delivered. HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra, though, shied away from declaring a public health emergency on the outbreak.
“While this has been a tremendous boost of vaccine availability, we know that more needs to be done,” said Dawn O’Connell, assistant secretary for preparedness and response for HHS, during a call with reporters Thursday.
The announcement of the supplemental doses of the Jynneos vaccine comes roughly a day after the Food and Drug Administration cleared the smallpox vaccine to also prevent monkeypox. There was also an expedited FDA inspection of the manufacturer Bavarian Nordic to help clear the way for the available doses.
So far, there have been 20,000 cases of monkeypox globally and 4,600 cases in the U.S.
However, even as cases continue to climb, Becerra demurred on whether to grant a monkeypox PHE. He told reporters Thursday that the agency is continuing to monitor the response on the outbreak.
“We have made vaccines, tests and treatments well beyond the numbers that are currently needed,” Becerra said. “We need to stay ahead of this and be able to end this outbreak.”
He added the goal is to distribute vaccines to areas in the country where monkeypox spread is most prevalent.
However, advocates blasted Becerra’s approach to rely on local clinics to distribute the vaccine, saying that a more targeted and coordinated federal response is needed.
“Secretary Becerra’s comments today demonstrate a concerning lack of understanding for the full breadth of this crisis,” said David Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, which represents STD directors in local health departments, in a statement. “Right now, clinics around the country are pleading with federal health officials for the information, supplies and staffing they need to successfully bring an end to this outbreak.”