Additional monkeypox vaccination sites are opening across the city and another round of appointments will become available on July 15 after the city received a new shipment of doses from the federal government, the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced on July 14.
The new vaccination hubs — described as “mass vaccination sites” — will add to the existing vaccination sites that have already opened in Chelsea and Central Harlem in Manhattan and Corona in Queens. The new spots will be in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Staten Island.
The additional locations are at Aviation High School at 45-30 36th Street in Queens; Bushwick Education at 440 Irving Avenue in Brooklyn; Bronx High School of Science at 75 West 205th Street in the Bronx; and NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Vanderbilt at 165 Vanderbilt Avenue in Staten Island. Local doctors serving those eligible for a vaccine will be provided with “limited doses” in the coming weeks, the Health Department said.
The city is receiving 14,500 new doses of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine and 8,200 of those shots will be available by appointment only at those vaccination sites. Community-based organizations serving higher-risk individuals will be getting 4,000 shots. The remaining shots are being set aside for contacts of those with confirmed cases. If there are any extra doses, they will be used for second dose appointments, the Health Department said.
The 8,200 appointments will become available online at 6 p.m. on July 15 and the slots will be spread out over the course of two weeks. To sign up when the appointments become available, visit http://vax4nyc.nyc.gov/monkeypox (the page will not be available until the appointments open).
Monkeypox is particularly affecting men who have sex with men. As of July 14, the city tallied 389 cases and officials believe there are more cases than the numbers indicate.
Meanwhile, lawmakers are continuing to push for more vaccines and other resources. According to NY1 reporter Zack Fink, Assemblymember Jessica González-Rojas of Queens and State Senator Brad Hoylman of Manhattan led a letter to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seeking more vaccines as well as tecovirimat (TPOXX), an antiviral drug.
There has been widespread criticism in response to the federal government’s slow vaccine rollout and the messy vaccine appointment process in the city, where overwhelming demand has crashed the appointment sign-up website on multiple occasions. City Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan is predicting that the next round of vaccines will also be reserved immediately after they become available.
“We are approaching monkeypox in New York City with the urgency it deserves, and we strive to center equity in all of the Department’s work, ensuring that we meet people where they are,” Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a written statement. “We will continue to work to meet the needs of New Yorkers at high risk of monkeypox transmission and severe disease. We expect this release of appointments will go quickly given the demand we have seen and are working with our federal partners to acquire more doses as quickly as possible. My sincere thanks goes out to all of the advocates, community and health care partners who are working to keep New Yorkers safe and healthy.”
Those who would like to receive text alerts regarding vaccination appointments and other monkeypox-related updates in the city can text “MONKEYPOX” to 692-692. To learn more about monkeypox, visit nyc.gov/monkeypox.
