HHS Affirms Liability Shield for Monkeypox Dose-Sparing Shots

Health-care providers who administer the monkeypox vaccine using a new technique cleared to help preserve the US’s limited supply of doses will be shielded from liability for any harm caused from the method, a spokesperson for the Department of Health and Human Services said.

The protection stems from an HHS declaration issued in 2015 under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act involving countermeasures against smallpox and orthopox viruses. The declaration offers liability immunity to those who manufacture and distribute such drugs amid a public health emergency.

The new route of administration cleared Tuesday—injecting the vaccine into the upper layer ...