As monkeypox cases near 200 in Chicago, Pritzker pushes feds for more vaccines to slow the spread

This electron microscope image made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows mature, oval-shaped monkeypox virions, left, and spherical immature virions, right, obtained from a sample of human skin. (AP)

Chicago is awaiting more than 15,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine from the federal government — as cases climbed to nearly 200 on Thursday and Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker urged Secretary Xavier Becerra to take more “aggressive actions” to help battle the outbreak. 

In Chicago, where 86% of the state’s cases are being reported, a second dose of the two-part vaccine is being delayed for some as the city awaits more doses, according to Chicago Department of Health spokesman Andrew Buchanan.