Friday in New York City, dozens of individuals lined up for vaccinations against monkeypox as the city opened its second vaccination campaign.
This morning, the line, composed primarily of men, wrapped around the Manhattan Chelsea sexual health clinic.
In the U.S. city with the highest incidence of monkeypox, homosexual or bisexual men with several sexual partners over two weeks, as well as anyone exposed to a patient with the tropical disease, are once again being offered the vaccination.
Yesterday, however, the 2,500 available appointments for the vaccinations were snatched up in only minutes as people rushed to get a spot.
Health officials were slammed for a ‘technical glitch’ that allowed so many people to book slots early using an old link that by the time the first batch was released it was already full, leaving frustrated New Yorkers saying they were left with ‘zero chance’ of getting a job.
There are currently 141 instances of monkeypox in New York, more than any other city in the United States, which has recorded 700 infections to date.
At the Central Harlem and Chelsea clinics, the New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is distributing vaccines for monkeypox.
In the coming weeks, they also hope to open the Corona sexual health clinic in Queens.
Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the city’s health commissioner, stated at a press conference yesterday that the places were picked because three-quarters of the cases were in Manhattan.
This includes around a third in the areas of Chelsea and Hell’s Kitchen.
The Health Department largely uses Twitter to notify individuals when vaccines are available, leaving others who do not frequently use Twitter in the dark.
It was revealed on Wednesday that an additional 6,000 doses had arrived from the federal government.
However, citizens have previously criticized these meager numbers as “crazy” given the city’s population of several million.
Officials first released 600 appointments on Wednesday, but due to a technical error, they were only accessible to those whose browsers contained a link to the old appointment webpage.
This meant that they were all reserved before their distribution to the general public.
In the afternoon of the same day, an additional 1,900 appointments were made available, but they were all taken within 10 minutes.
During the initial rollout of 1,000 doses, the city provided walk-ins, but due to strong demand, they were immediately discontinued.
Nicholas Diamond, who spent hours refreshing the New York City website for a shot, told the New York Times: ‘By following the Department of Health’s recommendations, we had no chance of receiving the vaccination.
I am quite concerned that the local, state, and federal governments have not learned anything from the Covid response, and that we are once again left to figure out how to care for ourselves.
Vasan, in a statement announcing the commencement of the rollout, stated, ‘Providing vaccine to New Yorkers at the highest risk of transmission will ensure that more New Yorkers are protected from monkeypox.
Thank you to our federal allies for giving the support we need to halt transmission and protect New Yorkers.
He added that the city would continue to “collaborate with” the federal authorities to get further doses.
Patients are given the Jynneous vaccine, which is administered in two doses approximately four weeks apart.
According to experts, recipients will be partially protected shortly after receiving the first dose, but will not be fully protected until approximately two weeks after receiving the second.
The vaccine, which is comprised of viruses that have been weakened, is around 85 percent effective against the disease.
Yesterday, more than a week after Pride celebrations, New York Metropolis became the first large city in the United States to surpass 100 cases of monkeypox.
Washington, D.C., is the only other region currently targeting homosexual or bisexual individuals with multiple sexual partners.
Monkeypox is transmitted through direct physical contact with contagious skin lesions, which in the current outbreak are seen in the vaginal and anal regions.
In echoes of the Covid era, health officials have been frequently criticized for their sluggish response to the outbreak and for failing to provide sufficient diagnostics and immunizations for the affected population.
