New York City authorities began offering monkeypox vaccines this week, but the demand was so high that walk-in appointments had to be cut off.
As of Thursday, Thirty people in New York City have tested positive for orthopoxviruses, according to NYC Health. All cases are likely to be monkeypox. To curb the outbreak, authorities started giving a Thursday for New Yorkers able to make an appointment or walk into the Chelsea Sexual Health Clinic to get the vaccine.
Since day one, we are prepared, not panicked and this monkeypox vaccine site is one more critical tool to keep New Yorkers healthy, New York City Mayor Eric Adams said in the NYC Health news release Thursday. Walk-in appointments had to be cut off within three hours of the launch because demand was so high, according to NBC New York. The outlet counted about 100 people in line outside the clinic at the time.
The vaccine is expected to fill up on Sunday for new appointments next week, as slots are already filled until Monday, June 27. The walk-in vaccines will not be available at this time, according to NYC Health. We want additional supply from the CDC to meet the high demand. In the past week, cases in New York City rose by a whopping 60%, according to NBC New York, and the city accounts for 20% of all cases nationwide. New York is second in the U.S. in the U.S. case count of total monkeypox orthopoxvirus cases by state, which has 48 cases as of 2 p.m. Worldwide, the U.K. still has the highest number of confirmed cases with 793 as of 5 p.m. EDT Thursday. Most of the cases in New York City had mild symptoms and the individuals did not require hospitalization, according to NYC Health. Patients with a new or unexpected rash or monkeypox symptoms should contact their health care provider.