The vaccination effort against monkeypox in New York City is getting a massive expansion, including broadening its eligibility pool and starting distribution of second doses, health officials announced Thursday.
Email and text notifications are heading out to New Yorkers who received their first dose of the monkeypox vaccine 10 weeks ago, with details on scheduling a second appointment over the phone or online. The city says second doses will only be made available to people 10 weeks after their first shot.
Demand for first doses of the monkeypox vaccine made access difficult -- most appointment drops had all slots claimed with minutes -- until late August. For the first time, the city released a batch of appointment times on Aug. 24 and still had openings more than 24 hours later.
“Now that we’ve gotten first doses to more than 70,000 New Yorkers, people can get their eagerly awaited second shots by appointment – and we’re making vaccination even more convenient by welcoming walk-ins for first doses," Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in Thursday's announcement.
Another example of the city's shifting approach to distribution: city-run vaccination sites will now be open to walk-ins (but still recommends making an appointment).
A batch of 8,000 first dose appointments will be made available Friday at 4 p.m.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox. Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
The city is also expanding who is eligible for doses of the vaccine. Sex workers and anyone engaging in transactional sex became immediately eligible for the vaccine Thursday.
The latest health department figures (as of Aug. 29), show more than 3,000 people in the city have presumably tested positive for monkeypox.
How to Prevent Monkeypox
The New York State Department of Health listed steps people should take in order to help prevent the spread of monkeypox:
• Ask sexual partners whether they have a rash or other symptoms consistent with monkeypox.
• Avoid skin-to-skin contact with someone who has a rash or other monkeypox-related symptoms.
• Contact a healthcare provider following exposure or symptoms, and check with your local county health department about vaccine eligibility.
• New Yorkers who receive the JYNNEOS vaccine should receive both doses, given four weeks apart, and stay vigilant until fully vaccinated, two weeks following the second dose.
• If you or your healthcare provider suspect you may have monkeypox, isolate at home. If you can, stay in a separate area from other family members and pets.
• Follow reputable sources of health information, including NYSDOH, CDC, and your local county health department.
