U.S. Offers Extra Monkeypox Vaccine Doses for Gay Pride Events

NEW YORK — The U.S. is setting aside an extra 50,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine for places with upcoming gay pride events, health officials said Thursday. The number of doses sent to each will be based on factors like the size of the event, how many health workers will be available to give shots, and how many of the attendees are considered at highest risk for catching the virus. “More shots in arms is how we get the outbreak under control,” Bob Fenton, the White House monkeypox response coordinator, told reporters Thursday. He said the effort is an attempt to “meet people where they are.” [time-brightcove not-tgx=”true”] At least a dozen U.S. pride events are scheduled over the next two months, including large gatherings in Atlanta and New Orleans in early September. U.S. officials said they will send up to 2,000 additional doses to North Carolina, where the Charlotte Pride Festival & Parade will be held this weekend. Read more: Jonathan Van Ness: We Are Still Not Taking Monkeypox Seriously Enough “While we are offering the vaccine at these events to those at high risk, this is a two-dose vaccine series, and receiving the vaccine at the event will not provide protection at the event itself,” said Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Monkeypox is endemic in parts of Africa, where people have been infected through bites from rodents or small animals, but it wasn’t cons...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized healthscienceclimate monkeypox Vaccines wire Source Type: news