FDA OKs Modified Dosing Method For Monkeypox Vax; US Buys More Tpoxx

Politico: Biden Administration Authorizes Emergency Monkeypox Vaccine Strategy 
The Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization on Tuesday for health care providers to administer the monkeypox vaccine in a new way intended to stretch the nation’s short vaccine supply. There is limited data supporting the method’s efficacy, indicating how much pressure the Biden administration is under now to stop the spreading virus after its arrival in the spring caught the administration flat-footed. (Mahr and Foley, 8/9)

Politico: Florida Rations Limited Supply Of Monkeypox Vaccines As Infections Go Up 
Florida has nearly doubled its count of people infected by the monkeypox virus in the past week, prompting state health officials to stretch vaccine supplies by only administering the first of two shots. The Florida Department of Health counted 985 people infected by the monkeypox virus as of Tuesday, marking a jump from the 525 infections reported by Surgeon General Joseph A. Ladapo one week ago. The agency also ordered the full 72,000 vaccine doses allocated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, which will be delivered in installments through October. (Sarkissian, 8/9)

The Boston Globe: Who Should Get The Monkeypox Vaccine? What To Know As Mass. Limits Shots To One Dose Only
Dr. Cassandra Pierre, Boston Medical Center’s associate hospital epidemiologist and medical director of public health programs, said she agreed with the decision, despite doubts about the data on how long single-dose immunity lasts. “We’re really trying to sprint to prevent this infection from becoming endemic,” she said. State health officials said that a single dose provides substantial, rapid protection from monkeypox infection, and the second dose will provide long-term immunity even if given months later. (Freyer, 8/9)

The U.S. government will buy $26M worth of the Tpoxx antiviral drug —

Reuters: U.S. To Buy Siga's IV Drug Worth $26 Million To Fight Monkeypox Outbreak 
The U.S. government will buy Siga Technologies Inc's $26-million worth of intravenous formulation of antiviral drug Tpoxx, the company said on Tuesday, as the country fights an outbreak of monkeypox cases. The company plans to deliver by next year the order for the IV treatment, which would be a vital option for patients unable to swallow the oral pill as monkeypox symptoms include rashes and blisters in the mouth. (8/9)

San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Absolutely Ridiculous’: LGBT Leaders Vent Frustration Over Lack Of Access To Monkeypox Antiviral Drug
While a national shortage of vaccines has choked efforts to combat the spread of the monkeypox virus, public health officials say an antiviral medication has shown promise to alleviate symptoms for infected people. The problem: They cannot prescribe the medication Tecovirimat, also known as Tpoxx, without completing hours of paperwork because the FDA has classified it as an investigational new drug to treat monkeypox. (Gardiner, 8/9)

More on the spread of monkeypox —

The Wall Street Journal: Monkeypox Likely Circulated For Years Before Outbreak, Scientists Say 
A gradual decline of herd immunity against the closely related smallpox virus gave monkeypox more possibilities to jump from its natural animal hosts, infection-disease experts say. And one day, years ago, it infected someone who was part of a network with close physical contact between members—maybe a gay man with multiple sexual partners, or a sex worker—allowing it to spread sustainably among humans for the first time, these experts theorize. (Roland, 8/9)

Stat: How Monkeypox Spreads — What Scientists Know, And Don't Know
The explosive trajectory of monkeypox to nearly 90 countries since the current outbreak was detected in the United Kingdom in mid-May has caught many governments off-guard, and created confusion about how monkeypox spreads from person to person. (Molteni, 8/10)

USA Today: Monkeypox In Kids: Symptoms, Vaccine, What Experts Want You To Know
It’s possible, and even expected, to see infections in children, health experts say. But it won’t be as common as other viruses. “We’re not expecting that childcare settings and schools will see rampant monkeypox infections run through kids,” said Dr. Ibukan Kalu, assistant professor of pediatrics at the Duke School of Medicine and a medical director of pediatric infection prevention at Duke University Medical Center. “But it is possible for children to get infected.” (Rodriguez, 8/10)

Stat: As Monkeypox Spreads, Campuses Prepare For Another Outbreak
Public health experts are urging universities to prepare for the arrival of monkeypox before students return to campus in the coming weeks. (Muthukumar, 8/9)

On contact tracing —

San Francisco Chronicle: S.F. All But Gives Up On Contact Tracing For Monkeypox
San Francisco has demanded more vaccines and treatment options for its escalating cases of monkeypox — but the city has all but abandoned a time-honored method of containing outbreaks: contact tracing. U.S. health officials declared monkeypox a national health emergency last week, as did California and San Francisco city officials, and although it’s typically non-fatal, no one wants to become infected by the smallpox relative, with its painful lesions that can lead to scarring. (Asimov, 8/8)

Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Early Data Shows Monkeypox Disproportionately Affecting Black Men
Monkeypox in Georgia is infecting an overwhelming number of Black people compared to other races — a disproportionate effect not anticipated just a few weeks ago, new data from the Georgia Department of Public Health show. Dr. Jonathan Colasanti, an infectious disease specialist, says it’s important people know the virus is most heavily affecting communities of color — and that those already infected have access to testing, treatment, and vaccines. (Oliviero, 8/10)