ECDOH makes monkeypox vaccine available to people at highest risk of infection

Two-day clinic scheduled with Evergreen Health for eligible Erie County residents

√ ECDOH to offer monkeypox vaccine to close contacts through contact tracing

The Erie County Department of Health and Evergreen Health are coordinating a two-day monkeypox vaccine clinic on Wednesday, July 27, and Thursday, July 28. These clinics will vaccinate Erie County residents at highest risk of monkeypox infection.

ECDOH and Evergreen Health will hold these clinics at Evergreen Commons, 67 Prospect Ave., Buffalo (close to Evergreen Health’s location on Elmwood Avenue).

Erie County residents must meet current eligibility criteria set by New York state in order to register for an appointment at erie.gov/monkeypox. Vaccine clinic attendees do not need to be Evergreen Health patients in order to receive vaccine. Attendees must be at least 18 years old and are asked to bring photo ID. Face masks will be required.

“With a limited supply of monkeypox vaccine available, we are reserving these doses for residents at highest risk of infection,” Commissioner of Health Dr. Gale Burstein said.

Additional monkeypox vaccine allocations from the New York State Department of Health are expected in coming weeks.

ECDOH noted those eligible for monkeypox vaccine at this clinic include:

√ Those at high risk of a recent exposure to monkeypox, including members of the gay, bisexual, transgender, and gender non-conforming community and other communities of men who have sex with men and who have engaged in intimate or skin-to-skin contact with others in the past 14 days areas where monkeypox is spreading.

√ Individuals who have had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, including men who have sex with men who meet partners through an online website, digital application ("app"), or social event, such as a bar or party.

Individuals with recent monkeypox exposure are also eligible for post-exposure prophylaxis. These close contacts as identified through ECDOH case investigations will be given direction on how to access monkeypox vaccine.

ECDOH strongly encourages anyone with symptoms consistent with monkeypox, especially lesions or a characteristic rash among individuals at risk of monkeypox, to be assessed by their health care provider.

“We want to thank Evergreen Health and the Pride Center of WNY for being responsive and helpful in planning these clinics and raising awareness of monkeypox,” Burstein said. “Our department will continue to investigate newly identified cases and offer to vaccinate any close contacts. This vaccination strategy will reduce the risk of community transmission, and have a protective benefit for people in our community at highest risk from current outbreaks.”

“Evergreen Health is pleased to be partnering with the Erie County Department of Health to host its monkeypox vaccine clinic,” said Fatai Gbadamosi, M.D., chief medical officer at Evergreen Health. “We appreciate their leadership and response efforts to ensure our community would have access to this vaccine, and will continue to partner with them to ensure those who are at risk receive the information and resources they need.”

NYSDOH has provided 600 JYNNEOS vaccine doses to Erie County. A small amount will be reserved for close contacts of confirmed monkeypox cases; the rest will be distributed through these clinics.

A second dose vaccine clinic will be scheduled for Aug. 24-25 for individuals who receive a vaccine at these two clinics. Individuals are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of JYNNEOS.

For more:

√ Erie County Department of Health, monkeypox: https://www3.erie.gov/health/monkeypox

√ Evergreen Health: https://www.evergreenhs.org

√ New York State Department of Health, monkeypox: https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/zoonoses/monkeypox/

√ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, monkeypox: https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/response/2022/