Atlanta — As monkeypox cases in Georgia continue to rise, available vaccines remain limited, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Atlanta-based health agency says there are now 430 cases of the virus in the state.
According to the Georgia Department of Public Health, 13,786 doses of the vaccine were allocated to Georgia for phases 1 and 2. 34,120 doses are allocated for phase 3.
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Right now, the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services allows the Georgia DPH to order up to 40% of that allocation.
The consensus around the state is that there is a real need for vaccines for the surging virus.
“I think we need more, though. There’s more that needs to be done,” vaccine recipient Patrick Sutton said.
Those doses will be ordered and available over the next four to six weeks, which can’t come soon enough, according to health experts.
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“We have demand that’s outstripping supply,” Dr. Jayne Morgan, executive director of the Covid Task Force, Piedmont Healthcare Corporation, said.
Morgan said the monkeypox vaccine is similar to the smallpox vaccine.
“Smallpox, monkeypox, cowpox. These are all orthopox viruses. So vaccines that are developed against one member of the family can be effective against another member of the family,” Dr. Morgan said.
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