CDC director: Most U.S. monkeypox vaccine shots have been first doses

CDC director: Most U.S. monkeypox vaccine shots have been first doses

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) – Most doses of Bavarian Nordic’s (BAVA.CO) two-dose Jynneos monkeypox vaccine administered in the United States have been first doses, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Rochelle Walensky said on Friday.

“The vast majority of doses administered, nearly 97%, are first doses with consistent week-over-week increases in vaccination. While we are encouraged by the scale-up, there are many people eligible for second doses and very few of the doses administered so far are recorded a second dose,” Walensky said at a White House briefing.

Walensky said some U.S. jurisdictions were reporting a downward trend in monkeypox cases and that health officials were watching this with cautious optimism.

Reporting by Rami Ayyub and Ahmed Aboulenein in Washington and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; editing by Jonathan Oatis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Source: Reuters