The White House monkeypox response team and public health officials will hold a news briefing Tuesday after the outbreak was declared a public health emergency.
The event is scheduled to start at 3:00 PM ET. Watch the briefing in the player above.
The federal government declared a public health emergency on Thursday to step up its response to a monkeypox outbreak that has infected more than 7,100 Americans.
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The announcement frees up money and other resources to fight the virus, which can cause fevers, body aches, chills, fatigue, and acne-like bumps on many parts of the body.
“We are ready for the next level in dealing with this virus and urge all Americans to take monkeypox seriously,” said Xavier Becerra, Director of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. .
The declaration by HHS comes at a time when the Biden administration faces criticism over the availability of a monkeypox vaccine. Clinics in big cities such as New York and San Francisco have not received enough double-dose vaccine to meet demand and have had to stop offering double-dose vaccines to ensure supplies of the first dose. He said it didn’t.
The White House said it enabled more than 1.1 million doses and helped boost the nation’s diagnostic capacity to 80,000 tests per week.
The monkeypox virus is spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, such as hugging, hugging, kissing, and sharing bedding, towels, and clothing. Those who have gotten sick so far have been mostly men who have sex with men. But health officials stress that the virus can infect anyone.
No one has died in the US. Several deaths have been reported in other countries.