Unvaccinated People 14 Times More Likely to Get Monkeypox
(CNN) — Eligible individuals who did not receive the monkeypox vaccine were around 14 times likelier to become infected with the virus than those who were vaccinated, according to federal government data described to CNN by multiple US health officials.That figure reflects the first wave of authoritative data collected by the Biden administration on the efficacy of the monkeypox vaccine that is currently being administered across the United States.
The data marks an important milestone in the administration's fight against monkeypox, particularly given the unprecedented nature of this year's outbreak.
Details of these early findings, said to be based on data collected from 32 states, could be unveiled publicly as early as Wednesday, when the White House monkeypox response team is expected to hold its next press briefing.Multiple health officials said that the vaccines data has the administration feeling increasingly optimistic about the efficacy of the two-dose Jynneos monkeypox vaccine — and the possibility of ultimately eliminating the current outbreak in the US altogether."We are cautiously optimistic about the study and think if we continue to get vaccines out to those that are at highest risk for disease, and if we continue to promote the behavioral changes that we know work, that the combination of those two will allow us to continue to see decreases in cases and hopefully eliminate the current monkeypox outbreak in the United States," one senior health official told CNN.The official cautioned that there are some important caveats to the findings.
For example, the latest study can't say how much changes in human behavior might be a factor for the vaccinated individuals, they said."What it doesn't let us do is fully.
