Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), said that very few people who have gotten monkeypox shots in the United States have received the second dose needed for complete protection.
Dr. Rochelle Walensky said that around 97 percent of the monkeypox shots were first doses, and many people are also eligible for a second dose of the monkeypox vaccine, and very few people have received the doses so far.
She told US CDC is expected to gain more insight into the trend, and the monkeypox vaccine scarcity might have caused delays in second shots previously, but that is no longer been the case. Over 207,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine developed by Bavarian Nordic were given as of August 2023 in the 19 jurisdictions.
The monkeypox vaccine needs to be given in two doses to be fully effective. To expand the access to the monkeypox vaccine, on August 9, 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized giving it between the layers of the skin that can possibly allow providers to get five doses from a single dose vial.
Bavarian Nordic has also raised doubts regarding the safety of the method, which is citing a lack of evidence, and the possibility has also increased risk of reactions compared to injecting it into the muscle.
