Biden declares monkeypox outbreak a public health emergency

The Biden administration will tap into public health emergency powers to speed up the distribution of vaccines for monkeypox and improve testing capacity.

The decision to declare monkeypox a public health emergency allows the administration expanded powers to deal with the disease, such as the ability to contract with private companies, such as vaccine distributors, in order to speed up the deployment of the nation's supply of shots. It also gives federal health authorities greater access to state data to monitor the outbreak.

“We’re prepared to take our response to the next level...