August 18, 2022 – Seriously Recognized monkeypox the outbreak In the United States, the White House announced today that 1.8 million more Serum The doses will be available to order by local and state jurisdictions in which supply is low starting next week.
At the same time, US officials will send an additional 50,000 courses of tecovirimat (TPOXX), the only FDA-approved treatment for monkeypox, nationwide.
“We’re focused on helping state and local partners convert these doses into vaccines because more shots in weapons are the way we can get the outbreak under control,” Robert Fenton, the newly appointed coordinator for monkeypox at the White House, said at a briefing today.
More than 13,500 cases monkeypox CDC Director Rochelle Walinsky, MD, said it had been identified in 49 states as of August 17.
The Biden administration has also increased testing capacity from 6,000 tests per week to 80,000 tests per week, The White House said.
Pride and protection?
Also, in a move to target those most at risk, the CDC plans to partner with large LGBTQ+ events in the coming weeks and months to deliver on-site testing and vaccinations. Walinsky said 93% of monkeypox cases reported to date involve men who have sex with men.
“These events are important opportunities for people to connect with their communities and enjoy themselves,” she said. “It’s also an opportunity to provide public health messages and resources to individuals who might otherwise be difficult to reach.”
Fenton said going where people are will boost local efforts and help slow the spread of the virus.
The White House has begun working with the health departments of North Carolina, Georgia and Louisiana to prepare for upcoming LGBTQ+ gatherings. For example, the administration worked with North Carolina to develop a plan to deliver vaccines during the Charlotte Pride and Parade Festival this coming weekend..
Officials also plan to work with Southern Decadence promoters in New Orleans and Atlanta Black Pride events for the weekend, both of which are scheduled for Labor Day weekend. These efforts are part of a US Department of Health and Human Services pilot program that allocates an additional 50,000 doses of the vaccine from the Strategic National Stockpile that local officials can order along with the vaccines they already have.
Some follow-up will be required. “We realize that there will be some people who have traveled to large-scale events – and that they will have to receive one dose of their vaccine and then necessarily get the second dose in their local jurisdiction,” Walinsky said.
monkeypox moving target
Walinsky and other government officials admitted during the briefing that the situation with monkeypox was “fluid”. For example, the early recommendation to introduce a single dose of Genius monkeypox vaccine (from the North Bavarian Pharmaceutical Company) and to postpone the second dose is no longer recommended.
“The delayed single-dose strategy … has been very concerning due to the absence of data and the emergence of some data suggesting that it may be a strategy that is not as effective as we would like it to be,” said Peter Marks, MD. Ph.D., director of the Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Biology Evaluation and Research.
Alternatively, two doses 4 weeks apart are recommended. Walinsky also said, maximum protection from the vaccine is also expected two weeks after the second dose.
intensification of treatment
Fenton said the 50,000 courses of TPOXX that will be sent across the country will be available where the outbreak is most severe. “This is five times the number of treatments that have been confirmed in the United States.”
The government will determine the number of TPOXX doses a given site gets based on a formula that takes into account the number of local cases and the number of high-risk people in that site, including people with human immunodeficiency virus Don O’Connell, assistant secretary of health and human services preparedness and response, or other immune conditions, said.
While announcing large numbers of more vaccines and doses of TPOXX treatment across the country, officials also emphasized the importance of working with community leaders, health organizations and departments.
Think national, act local
“We know we have to do more to mitigate the spread of this virus and protect those at risk,” Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said. “Our work with state and local partners could not be more important than it is at this very moment.”
In addition to reaching those most at risk, the government is focusing on equitable education, testing, prevention and treatment. The average age of people with monkeypox is 35. About 35% of cases occur in white people, 33% in Hispanic people, and about 28% occur in black people, according to CDC data.
“Many of the events we’re focusing on … are really events that focus on the populations that have been significantly overrepresented in this outbreak, including the trends we’re seeing among black and Latino individuals,” said Dimitri Daskalakis, the White House deputy coordinator. Response to monkeypox and director of the HIV Prevention Division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
to go forward
“Most Americans are still learning about monkeypox, what it is, and what it isn’t. CDC . website Most of these questions can be answered,” Becerra said.
The sole manufacturer of the Jynneos vaccine in Copenhagen, Denmark, has announced that its production is unlikely to be able to keep up with demand. But US officials are working with Bavarian firm Nordic to ramp up manufacturing by partnering with a US-based vaccine maker. Details are still being worked out.
Another possibility, O’Connell said, is for the northern Bavarian region to partner with a large US pharmaceutical company to increase capacity.
“On July 15, when we announced an order with Bavarian Nordic for an additional 2.5 million vials of Jynneos vaccine, we shared that those doses would be filled at a US-based manufacturer,” she said.
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