The White House will declare monkeypox a public health emergency on Thursday as cases climb in the United States, according to multiple outlets, as the federal government seeks to speed up vaccine distribution following criticism over the vaccination effort’s slow pace.
Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra will make the announcement at a press conference Thursday, and will also share a plan to help jurisdictions ramp up vaccine distribution, the Washington Post reported, citing administration officials.
The decision comes after several cities and states like New York and California had moved on their own to designate the virus—which has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, and in particular those with multiple partners—as an emergency, part of a bid to streamline government responses.