Faced with a growing outbreak of the monkeypox virus, New York City health officials on Thursday expanded access to a monkeypox vaccine, offering it to a new group of people who may have a higher risk: men who have had multiple or anonymous male sexual partners during the period. last two weeks.
New York City is the first U.S. jurisdiction to expand access to the vaccine beyond close contacts of infected people, following similar moves in the United Kingdom and Canada.
Public health officials around the world have struggled to work out an effective response to the outbreak, which has spread to dozens of countries since mid-May, especially among networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men.
New York City reported 30 cases of monkeypox virus on Thursday. Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported 173 cases. Globally, more than 3,300 cases of the disease were reported in 42 countries outside the African regions where it is endemic, in the largest global outbreak of the disease.
No deaths have yet been reported in the outbreak outside Africa, but 72 deaths have been reported since the beginning of the year in endemic African regions.
The opening of the first clinic to offer the vaccine in New York City on Thursday was not publicly announced in advance. Instead, after a press release was issued Thursday at 11:30 a.m., the news spread on social media and through word of mouth about the sudden availability of the vaccine.
In the early afternoon, a row of more than 100 men had formed outside the Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic, which is the only place in town to offer vaccinations.
Around 1:30 p.m., clinic workers began rejecting new people, asking them to make online appointments for next week.
There is a limited supply of the preferred vaccine to fight monkeypox, which has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. It is made in Denmark and is known as Jynneos in the United States. Although the federal government owns about 1.4 million doses, Mark Levine, the president of the Manhattan district, said there were only about 1,000 doses of vaccine on hand for city residents.
“The demand we’re seeing today is further proof of how proactive the LGBTQ + community is, and all New Yorkers, when it comes to their health and seeking health care,” the city’s Department of Health said in a statement. communiqué. “We are in talks with the CDC to get more doses and we are studying how we can increase our capacity across the city.”
Gay men’s health advocates have been calling for weeks for expanded access to the vaccine. Until Thursday, it was offered mainly to known contacts of infected people and some health workers. Especially with the Pride parade and related celebrations taking place this weekend, it seemed like the city had greatly underestimated demand.
James Krellenstein, co-founder of PrEP4All, a health advocacy group, was one of the first in line at the clinic around noon. He received his dose at 12:30 and said he was relieved to have at least some protection before the Pride festivities reached their peak.
“I think it was really weird to do this without first consulting with the community,” he said, but opening the clinic “is the right decision. We need to roll out the vaccine right now to the wider population.”
There is a strong desire, he said, to get at least a dose of the two-dose vaccine before this weekend, which will provide at least some protection against the spread, even among people who have no plans. have sexual experiences. The disease can be transmitted by skin-to-skin contact with infected lesions to any part of the body and does not require sexual contact.
“At parties, people often take off their T-shirts and dance around,” he said. “That allows us to feel a little more comfortable.”
Vaccines will be available at the clinic from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, the city reported. The web dating system should also have more appointments starting Sunday, officials said.
The monkeypox virus, so named because it was discovered in monkeys in captivity in 1958, usually begins with flu-like symptoms such as fever and swollen lymph nodes, and then progresses to a painful rash with pus-filled lesions. on the face and body.
Although it is much less lethal than its relative, smallpox, it can be fatal, with a mortality rate of 3 to 6 percent in African regions where it is endemic. It is spread mainly by skin-to-skin contact, but can also be transmitted by respiratory droplets from prolonged close contact or contact with shared objects such as towels.
What you need to know about the monkeypox virus
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What is monkeypox? Smallpox is a virus endemic to parts of central and western Africa. It is similar to smallpox, but less severe. It was discovered in 1958, after outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
What are the symptoms? Monkeypox creates a rash that begins with flat red marks that rise and fill with pus. Infected people can also have fever and body aches. Symptoms usually appear between six and 13 days, but can take up to three weeks after exposure and can last between two and four weeks. Health officials say smallpox vaccines and other treatments can be used to control an outbreak.
How infectious is it? The virus spreads primarily through body fluids, skin contact, and respiratory droplets, although some experts suggest that it could occasionally pass through the air. It does not usually cause major outbreaks, although this year it has spread in unusual ways and among populations that have not been vulnerable in the past.
Do I have to worry? The likelihood of the virus spreading during sexual contact is high, but the risk of transmission in other ways is low. Most people have mild symptoms and recover within a few weeks, but the virus can be fatal in a small percentage of cases. Studies also suggest that older adults may have some protection against smallpox vaccines from decades ago.
In this global outbreak, the disease has sometimes presented differently, as only a few lesions in the genital or internal area. As a result, there is a risk of it being confused with other sexually transmitted diseases, such as syphilis and herpes, the CDC warned in a recent health alert.
Testing in the United States is done in one of the country’s 70 public health labs, but the CDC recently announced it was expanding access to some commercial labs to make testing easier for health care providers. However, the pace of testing is still at a relatively low level and some people who suspect they have monkeypox have been struggling to find suppliers to test them.
As of Wednesday, there had been a total of 1,058 tests nationwide for orthopoxvirus, the family of viruses to which monkeypox belongs, the CDC said.
Joseph Osmundson, a New York University microbiologist who is among a group of activists pushing for more access to testing and vaccination, said there was “immense frustration in the community” over access to the vaccine and hoped other cities would follow suit. follow in the footsteps of New York and open clinics soon.
At the same time, he said, health officials should make sure to better communicate the launch of clinics in advance to ensure wider access to doses.
“We fully understand that we want the plane while we build it and not everything will be perfect,” he said. “But we’re also concerned about equity and communication, and the people who were vaccinated first were the ones who were very connected to the information.”
Luck and chance also influenced who made the first shots.
David Polk, who lives in Hell’s Kitchen, said he arrived at the Chelsea clinic around 12:15 p.m., but not to get vaccinated. He saw people setting up a table and a tent near the front door.
“I thought it was a gift,” Mr. Polk, 39 years old. It turned out to be an inscription for the vaccine, and Mr. Polk was one of the first to arrive.
“I’m pretty sure all these people weren’t expected,” Mr. Polk, “because when I got here there was no one, and I had to wait a bit because the dating system didn’t work.”
But within half an hour, dozens of vaccine applicants began arriving and a long line was quickly formed, he said. “I think the staff here were as surprised as I was,” Mr. Polk.
Sean Piccoli contributed to the report.