Monkeypox emergency | U.S. secures omicron shots | Child hepatitis mystery

VIEW IN BROWSER | SUBSCRIBE Fri, Jul 29, 2022 EDITOR'S NOTE Think a friend or colleague should be getting this newsletter? Share this link with them to sign up.    The U.S. is now facing the largest monkeypox outbreak in the world as federal and local health officials struggle to contain the swiftly spreading virus.    Health Secretary Xavier Becerra indicated this week that the Biden administration is considering a public health emergency declaration to mobilize more resources to fight the outbreak. The World Health Organization declared a global emergency last weekend as global cases have risen to nearly 20,000 across 78 countries.    House Democrats and local communities have criticized the pace of the federal response, but Becerra said HHS has done everything it can to mobilize vaccines, testing and antivirals to quash the outbreak. The health secretary called on the states to do more to stop transmission.   Scientists and public health experts are concerned that monkeypox could become an endemic virus in the U.S. if more is not done to contain the spread. Though monkeypox is rarely fatal, patients develop a rash that can be excruciatingly painful.    As the U.S. struggles to contain monkeypox, health officials are also preparing for a major wave of Covid infection this fall. The U.S. has secured 171 million doses of Pfizer's and Moderna's shots that target omicron, but the Biden administration has warned this isn't enough to offer everyone another booster shot. Congress still has not passed additional funding for HHS to secure a sufficient supply of vaccines.   President Joe Biden, who tested positive for Covid last week, has since recovered and tested negative. He sought to reassure the American people that the U.S. has the tools to prevent Covid from being a deadly disease.    In other health news, scientists may have discovered what caused an outbreak of hepatitis in children, who suffered severe liver damage. Researchers in the U.K. said two viruses, adenovirus and adeno-associated virus 2, likely caused the outbreak of severe hepatitis in kids. More on that below.     Feel free to send any tips, suggestions, story ideas and data in the meantime to me at spencer.kimball@nbcuni.com. Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Spencer Kimball | Health Reporter @spencekimball Health secretary calls on Congress and states to do more to help contain monkeypox outbreak The U.S. health secretary on Thursday said the federal government needs Congress to help end the growing monkeypox outbreak and that states, cities and communities need to do more at the local level to prevent the spread of the virus. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters on a call that the federal government has done everything it can to stay ahead of the outbreak, but it doesn't control the public health response at the state level.   "We don't control public health in the 50 states, in the territories and in the the tribal jurisdictions. We rely on our partnership to work with them. They need to work with us," Becerra said during a call with reporters on Thursday. Becerra said HHS has told Congress what resources the department needs to end the outbreak, but it's up to lawmakers to act. - Spencer Kimball  WHO declares rapidly spreading monkeypox outbreak a global health emergency The World Health Organization has activated its highest alert level for the growing monkeypox outbreak, declaring the virus a public health emergency of international concern. The rare designation means the WHO now views the outbreak as a significant enough threat to global health that a coordinated international response is needed to prevent the virus from spreading further and potentially escalating into a pandemic.   "We have an outbreak that has spread around the world rapidly, through new modes of transmission, about which we understand too little," WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. "For all of these reasons, I have decided that the global monkeypox outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern." - Spencer Kimball President Biden tests negative for Covid and ends his strict quarantine President Joe Biden returned to the Oval Office on Wednesday after five days of strict Covid-19 quarantine, saying he had two negative coronavirus tests over the previous 24 hours. "My symptoms were mild, my recovery was quick and I'm feeling great," Biden said in a short speech at the White House before he went back to work in the West Wing. He had been working from the White House residence after contracting Covid last week   White House physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote in a letter Wednesday that Biden's symptoms "have been steadily improving, and are almost completely resolved." - Dan Mangan, Christina Wilkie Scientists identify likely cause of mysterious children's liver disease Scientists in the U.K. say they have identified the likely cause of a recent outbreak of mysterious liver disease afflicting young children around the world. New research suggests that a lack of exposure to two common viruses during the Covid-19 pandemic may have increased the chances of children becoming severely ill with acute hepatitis.   In studies published Tuesday, two research teams from University College London and the University of Glasgow said that lockdown restrictions could have led some infants to miss out on early immunity to both adenovirus and the newly linked adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2). - Karen Gilchrist U.S. secures 171 million omicron Covid shots ahead of fall vaccination campaign The Health and Human Services Department has secured 171 million doses of new Covid vaccines that target the omicron variant in preparation for a fall booster campaign. The U.S. has agreed to purchase 66 million doses of Moderna's new vaccine formula in a $1.74 billion deal, HHS announced Friday. The Moderna order comes on top of a $3.2 billion agreement to purchase 105 million doses of Pfizer's updated shots that target omicron.     HHS expects to receive the first deliveries from Pfizer and Moderna early this fall. The new vaccines that target omicron still need to be authorized by the Food and Drug Administration and cleared by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. - Spencer Kimball Pfizer quarterly sales surge to record high, driven by Covid vaccine and antiviral treatment Paxlovid Pfizer's second-quarter revenue and profit beat Wall Street expectations, driven by sales of its Covid-19 vaccine and its antiviral treatment Paxlovid.   Pfizer booked $27.7 billion in revenue, a 47% increase over the same period last year and its largest quarterly sales on record. The pharmaceutical company reported $9.9 billion in net income, a 78% increase over the second quarter of 2021.   Pfizer's Covid vaccine brought in $8.8 billion in revenue for the second quarter, while sales of Paxlovid totaled $8.1 billion. The company maintained its 2022 sales guidance for the vaccine of $32 billion and is still expecting $22 billion for Paxlovid. - Spencer Kimball JOIN US REGISTER CONTRIBUTORS Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Bertha Coombs @berthacoombs Meg Tirrell @megtirrell Unsubscribe Manage Newsletters Terms of Service Join the CNBC Panel Digital Products Feedback Privacy Policy CNBC Events © 2022 CNBC LLC. All rights reserved. A property of NBCUniversal. 900 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, NJ 07632 Data is a real-time snapshot *Data is delayed at least 15 minutes. Global Business and Financial News, Stock Quotes and Market Data and Analysis. Data also provided by THOMSON REUTERS