After a jump in monkeypox cases, Massachusetts is nearly tripling the number of locations where the vaccine is being given out, bracing for an influx of appointments.
About 50 people have so far been diagnosed with the rare virus in Massachusetts. A monkeypox outbreak is spreading across the world; it hasn't been tied to any deaths, but it can be painful and people with known cases are urged to quarantine.
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Monkeypox vaccines were previously being offered at four clinics in Massachusetts, but 11 will soon be vaccinating people, depending on supply — the Bay State initially received 2,004 doses of the two-shot vaccine and is waiting for more.
One of the 11 clinics, Seven Hills Behavioral Health in New Bedford, had more than 40 people booked in the first day of accepting appointments, according to program director Connie Rocha-Mimosa.
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“The individuals that have called us for appointments are individuals who are at high-risk,” Rocha-Mimosa said. “They’ve been in contact with somebody that has been diagnosed with monkeypox.”
There are eligibility requirements set up by the state's Department of Public Health that limit who can get vaccinated, at least for now.
Massachusetts has reported 49 cases of monkeypox, 18 of which were announced Thursday afternoon, though the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that, as of Friday, the state had 51 monkeypox cases. Other cases have been announced in surrounding states, including New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut and New York.
“These are the most cases, but the goal is to see none,” Rocha-Mimosa said.
The rare virus causes flu-like symptoms and a skin rash and spreads through close contact, often from people's skin touching. Symptoms usually appear within 7-14 days. The population of men who have sex with men —and their sexual partners — is considered to make up a large number of cases in this outbreak.
Where to get a monkeypox vaccine in Mass.
The 11 local clinics currently offering the monkeypox vaccine are the following, according to Massachusetts' monkeypox vaccine site — the sites in Boston and Provincetown were the first to be announced and the others were added later:
- Fenway Health in Boston: To make an appointment, call 617-927-6060 Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Massachusetts General Hospital Sexual Health Clinic in Boston: To make an appointment, call 617-726-2748 Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Boston Medical Center Infectious Disease Clinic in Boston: To make an appointment, call 617-414-4290 Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Outer Cape Cod Health Services in Provincetown: To make an appointment, call 508-905-2888 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- JRI Health in Framingham: To make an appointment, call 508-935-2960 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., or until 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays.
- Greater Lawrence Family Health Center in Lawrence: To make an appointment, call 978-685-7663 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- Health Innovations in Randolph: To make an appointment, call 339-987-1956 Monday-Friday between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Baystate Medical Center Brightwood Health Center in Springfield: To make an appointment, call 413-794-4458 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Tapestry Health in Springfield: To make an appointment, call 413-586-2016 ext. 121 Monday-Friday between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m.
- AIDS Project Worcester and University of Massachusetts Medical Center in Worcester: To make an appointment, call 508-755-3773 ext. 113 Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
- Seven Hills Behavioral Health in New Bedford: To make an appointment, call 774-634-3725 Monday-Friday between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Who is eligible for the monkeypox vaccine in Mass.?
The Department of Public Health lists the requirements for getting monkeypox vaccine as:
- Known contacts identified by public health via case investigation, contact tracing, and risk exposure assessments (this may include sexual partners, household contacts, and healthcare workers); as well as
- Presumed contacts who meet the following criteria:
- Know that a sexual partner in the past 14 days was diagnosed with monkeypox
- Had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days in a jurisdiction with known monkeypox
More people may become eligible when more vaccine doses are shipped to Massachusetts, officials say.
What vaccine is available for monkeypox?
People who getting vaccinated will get two shots of the Jynneos vaccine, also known as Imvamune or Imvanex, health officials say. The second dose is given 28 days after the first shot, and people are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after getting the second dose.
More on monkeypox in Massachusetts
Massachusetts received its first shipment of the vaccine, with 2,004 doses, earlier in July. "More vaccine is expected to become available in coming weeks," officials note, and federal health officials said last week that states would be getting them soon.
Anyone who is vaccinated is still urged to avoid skin-to-skin contact with someone infected with monkeypox. And officials urged people to be aware that appointments are limited, at least for now.
"Please be aware that there is currently a limited supply of JYNNEOS, and vaccination is prioritized for individuals at highest risk of exposure to someone with monkeypox," the state's monkeypox vaccine site says.
The CDC has said it's releasing about 300,000 doses of the vaccine within the next few weeks, with more than 1 million following that in the next few months.
