WaPo: Feds To Declare Monkeypox Emergency Today

The Washington Post reports:

The Biden administration plans to declare the monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency as soon as Thursday in an effort to galvanize awareness and unlock additional flexibility and funding to fight the virus’s spread.

The declaration would come from Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, who is expected to discuss the plan at an afternoon briefing, said two officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The health secretary is planning a second declaration empowering federal officials to expedite medical countermeasures, such as potential treatments and vaccines, without going through full-fledged federal reviews.

Read the full article.

Officials are also planning a second declaration that would allow for emergency-use authorization + expedite medical countermeasures, which could unlock more flexibility on vaccines.

(US officials have been racing to boost limited vaccine supply.)https://t.co/JvPFXHt9Kg

— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) August 4, 2022

Federal officials also are circulating an “options memo” about how to use the new authorities unlocked by new public health emergency, which Politico’s great team of @ErinBanco @woodruffbets @adamcancryn scooped earlier today. https://t.co/7qyJYCKr0K

— Dan Diamond (@ddiamond) August 4, 2022