The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services doubled its order of Bavarian Nordic's Jynneos monkeypox vaccine by another 2.5 million doses Friday, the agency announced.
"We continue to do everything we can to ramp up supply of vaccines and distribute them to those in need as quickly and equitably as possible," HHS Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response Dawn O'Connell said in a press release announcing the additional order. "Our strategy is to secure additional doses for the near-term while also making sure we have a steady supply in the weeks and months to come."
Friday's order doubled the previous July 1 order of 2.5 million doses of the vaccine and is expected to reach the Strategic National Stockpile during the next year, bringing the total number of available vaccines to around 7 million by mid-2023, according to the agency.
In the last week, some 100,000 of the 156,000 doses already shipped to states and jurisdictions arrived at their destinations and are ready for distribution.
The vaccines are part of President Joe Biden's plan to address the global outbreak of monkeypox, which currently has 11,466 confirmed cases worldwide, and 1,469 confirmed cases in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease is rare, and caused by a virus from the smallpox family, with similar, but milder symptoms, which are rarely fatal, according to the agency.
It is usually spread between humans following "close" bodily contact, including activities like hugging, kissing, sex, or cuddling, the agency said.
Symptoms can include fever, headache, muscle and backaches, chills, swollen lymph nodes, exhaustion, and a rash of pimples and blisters that can appear on a variety of body locations, according to the CDC.
The Biden administration announced its plan to address the virus in late June, highlighting using the available vaccine, and increasing testing among groups most vulnerable to catch the disease.
"As part of the monkeypox outbreak response, the Biden-Harris administration is launching a national strategy to provide vaccines for monkeypox for individuals at higher risk of exposure," the White House said June 28. "The strategy aims to mitigate the spread of the virus in communities where transmission has been the highest and with populations most at risk.
"This plan distributes the two-dose Jynneos vaccine, which the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved for protection against smallpox and monkeypox in individuals 18 years and older determined to be at high risk for smallpox or monkeypox infection."
In addition to the vaccines, HHS said Friday that it was expanding testing to 70,000 per week, compared to 6,000 per week after the first U.S. confirmed case was reported May 18.
"At CDC, we continue to work closely with the community, public health partners, and clinicians to increase awareness about the current monkeypox outbreak," CDC Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky said Friday. "We have expanded the nation's monkeypox testing capacity and now have four commercial laboratories whose combined capabilities have increased testing capacity from 6,000 specimens a week to 70,000. The ability to increase testing capacity and improve access will provide the nation a better understanding of the outbreak and help us fight it."