NEW YORK — New York City will open an additional 8,200 available monkeypox vaccine appointments at 6 pm Friday as locations that will deliver the vaccines expand across the city.
Appointments will be available through the city’s immunization portal. (Access to the portal here)
In addition to the existing monkeypox vaccination clinics located at the city’s Chelsea, Central Harlem and Corona Sexual Health Clinics, another clinic will open at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health in Vanderbilt Avenue and Staten Island.
Starting Sunday there will also be three mass vaccination sites open for appointments at:
- Aviation High School (45-30 36th Street en Queens)
- Bushwick Education (440 Irving Avenue not Brooklyn)
- Bronx High School of Science (75 W 205th Street in the Bronx)
In addition to the 8,200 appointments at vaccination sites, the city said it would make another 4,000 vaccines available through referrals from “partner community organizations that serve higher-risk patients.”
The expansion comes as cases double here every five days. The city accounts for more than a quarter of all US infections, according to CDC data, and more than 2% of all current infections worldwide.
On Thursday, the city reported a total of 389 infections, up 16% in one day.
But the latest round of vaccine appointments sold out almost immediately on Tuesday after a spate of bugs left many people unable to even access the booking website. Mayor Eric Adams, calling the city the “epicenter of the monkeypox epidemic,” said Wednesday that he had asked the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services to ensure more vaccine distribution.
Getting a vaccine has been difficult: only a few thousand appointments have been opened in recent weeks.
IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS
There is no specific approved treatment for monkeypox. Most people get better on their own without treatment. However, antivirals developed for use in smallpox patients may be of benefit.
If you start experiencing symptoms, talk to your health care provider. If you don’t have a health care provider, call 311. A provider will review your symptoms and may order tests.
A person is contagious until all sores have healed and a new layer of skin has formed, which can take two to four weeks.
To protect others while you are sick:
- Avoid having sex or being intimate with anyone until you have been seen by a provider.
- Stay home and separate from other people in your home.
- If you can’t completely separate yourself from others in your home, wear a face mask and avoid physical contact. Wear clothing that covers your injuries when you are in shared spaces.
- If you must leave home for essential needs or medical care, cover your rashes and injuries with clothing and wear a mask.
- Do not share or allow others to touch your clothes, towels, bedding, or utensils. Don’t share a bed.
- Do not share dishes, food, drink or utensils. Wash dishes in warm, soapy water or in a dishwasher.
- Wash your hands and clean shared surfaces, like countertops and doorknobs, often. Household members should also wash their hands frequently, especially if they touch materials or surfaces that may have come into contact with injuries.
¿QUIT IS IS IT MONKEYPOX?
Monkeypox was first discovered in 1958, when outbreaks occurred in colonies of monkeys kept for research, giving rise to its name. (What you need to know about monkeypox).
The first human case was reported in 1970 in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which still has the majority of infections. Other African countries where it has been found: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Ivory Coast, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Liberia, Nigeria, Republic of Congo and Sierra Leone.
Human symptoms of monkeypox are similar to but milder than smallpox symptoms, the CDC says. It presents as a flu-like illness accompanied by swollen lymph nodes and a rash on the face and body.
Monkeypox begins with a fever, headache, muscle aches, and exhaustion. Monkeypox also causes the lymph nodes to swell, something that smallpox does not. The incubation period is usually 7 to 14 days, but can range from 5 to 21 days.
Cases reported outside of Africa have generally been linked to international travel or animals that have been imported.
HOW DO YOU GET MONKEYPOX?
The CDC urges healthcare providers in the US to be vigilant for patients who have monkeypox-like rashes, regardless of whether they have traveled or are at specific risk for monkeypox. See more information about the travel advisory here.
The CDC issued new guidance on monkeypox as the number of suspected cases rose across the country, marking the largest monkeypox outbreak in U.S. history, which has generally been confined to other continents.
While the CDC says the risk to the general public remains low, people are urged to avoid close contact with sick people, including those with skin or genital lesions, as well as sick or dead animals. Anyone showing symptoms, such as unexplained rashes or lesions, should contact their health care provider for guidance.
It is also advisable to avoid the consumption of meat that comes from wild game or the use of products (such as creams, powders or lotions) that come from wild animals in Africa.
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