U.S. moves to stretch limited monkeypox vaccine supply: The Hill

NEW YORK, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The Joe Biden administration on Tuesday announced a new strategy to stretch the limited available doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine by changing how the vaccine is injected, The Hill reported.

The new method would split up the doses and use one-fifth as much vaccine per shot. The partial dose of the vaccine would be injected into the upper layer of skin, rather than the full dose into the underlying fat, which is how shots are typically administered.

"In recent weeks the monkeypox virus has continued to spread at a rate that has made it clear our current vaccine supply will not meet the current demand," The Hill quoted U.S. Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Robert Califf as saying in its report of the government move.

"The Biden administration is scrambling to try to control the spiraling monkeypox epidemic, which has become both a political and public health concern. More than 8,900 cases have been reported, and experts think that's likely an undercount," said the report.

The move is aimed at alleviating a major shortage of Jynneos, the only FDA-approved vaccine for monkeypox. The administration has hundreds of thousands of doses available but will need millions more to vaccinate the 1.6 million gay and bisexual men officials consider to be at highest risk for the virus, it added.