Biden administration declares the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency

The announcement came during a briefing with the Department of Health and Human Services.

The administration has been criticized at times for its handling of the outbreak, and some have called on the government to declare a national emergency without delay.

Since the first US monkeypox case was identified in mid-May, more than 6,600 probable or confirmed cases have been detected in the United States. Cases have been identified in every state except Montana and Wyoming.

What Puts Someone at Risk of Catching Monkeypox?

In California, where a state of emergency has already been declared, hundreds of people wait in line for monkeypox vaccines.

In North Carolina, there are 86 confirmed cases, up from 46 confirmed cases a week ago.

Wake County, which has 10 confirmed cases, is experiencing long lines and lots of calls as residents wait their turn for a vaccine. Some people tell WRAL News it’s taking about two weeks from first call to first shot and others are still waiting for a call back.

1st case of monkeypox confirmed in Cumberland County by health officials

In response, Wake County is hoping to speed up the vaccine requests by adding more nurses and launching an online portal.

The Division of Public Health said it is experiencing a high volume of calls to its Communicable Disease Line — (919)-250-4462 — which is still the best way to schedule a vaccine until the online site launches.

Wake County currently has 800 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine; however, the county has only scheduled 228 appointments and has given 162 shots.

The county’s health director expects a significant improvement by next week.

Durham County has 1,500 doses, and the health department says they have more supply than demand. As of Tuesday, 208 people had been vaccinated and 650 appointments have been scheduled.

People can call the Durham County Department of Public Health at (919) 560-9217 to schedule an appointment.

U.S. Could Have Had Many More Doses of Monkeypox Vaccine This Year

The Biden administration has been heavily criticized by some public health experts for not moving faster to address the crisis.

One of the criticisms of the administration's response, as CNN reported earlier Thursday, was that HHS waited more than three weeks after the first confirmed case of monkeypox in the US to order bulk stocks of the monkeypox vaccine, which the government owns and stores in Denmark, be bottled and sent to the US for distribution. The delay was in part out of concern that once those vaccines were taken out of bulk storage, they would lose years of shelf life.

"Monkeypox can infect anyone, but the majority of cases in the US outbreak have been among men who have sex with men, including gay and bisexual men and people who identify as transgender. Close contact with an infected individual is required for the spread of the monkeypox virus, experts say," according to CNN.

The CDC initially announced vaccines for monkeypox were being released from the Strategic National Stockpile and offered to the "high-risk" contacts of monkeypox patients, as well as the health care workers treating them. Federal health officials have since expanded vaccination efforts to focus on the broader community of men who have sex with men, the demographic that makes up most US monkeypox cases.

In addition to providing vaccines, the CDC has said since June it has made a concerted effort to do extensive education and outreach to the LGBTQ community.

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