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Virginia expands eligibility for monkeypox vaccine

More Virginians are now eligible to receive the monkeypox vaccine, the Virginia Department of Health announced on Thursday.

The new criteria includes people who have had anonymous or multiple sexual partners in the past two weeks, sex workers, and staff at establishments where sexual activity occurs.



Anyone meeting the expanded eligibility can head to their local health district’s website to learn more about receiving a vaccine, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender.

Virginia is distributing a limited supply of the two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine. As of this week, VDH said it had received more than 15,000 vials of the vaccine from the federal government and had distributed just under 9,000 across the state’s 35 health districts.

The agency said it is managing supply of the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine to ensure second doses are available.

More information about monkeypox, including its symptoms, spread and treatment, can be found on the VDH website.

As of Thursday, Virginia had logged 295 cases of monkeypox with 11 that have led to hospitalization.

Fauci repeatedly invokes the Fifth Amendment in a contentious Senate committee hearing

WASHINGTON (AP) — Dr. Anthony Fauci on Wednesday repeatedly invoked the Fifth Amendment and declined to answer dozens of questions from senators in a Republican-led committee hearing about his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision, at least for now, shielded Fauci from answering questions that could expose him to accusations of lying under oath. Though he received a pardon in early 2025 from Democratic President Joe Biden, some Republicans pursuing a yearslong campaign for his arrest had suggested he could still face charges for any perjury committed during Wednesday’s hearing. The scientist, who helped lead the nation’s COVID-19 response, was subpoenaed to testify under oath by Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, who has long had an antagonistic relationship with Fauci. In response to angry, sometimes mocking questions from Republican senators, Fauci declined to answer more than 100 times, injecting new drama into partisan divides that have festered for years about the origins and handling of the pandemic. Fauci himself has become a polarizing figure, even receiving death threats that prompted him to seek security.
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