Thousands of New York women vaccinated with monkeypox despite low risk of exposure

White people continue to be overrated Vaccines outside New York CityAccording to the latest statistics, about 27% of monkeypox cases are Caucasian, while about two-thirds of vaccinees are Caucasian.

Black and Hispanic men are most affected by the pandemic, which has sickened 3,234 New Yorkers as of Aug. 31.

The two-dose JYNNEOS vaccine, available from the federal National Strategic Stockpile, is in short supply. To date, his 43,375 vials of vaccine have been allocated to New York and 31,855 have been received.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), monkeypox is spread through close contact, contact with sores or rashes, and sometimes by touching objects used by an infected person. Anyone can get monkeypox, but current outbreaks mostly affect gay and bisexual men.

At this time, the injection is primarily intended as post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for those who may have been recently exposed to monkeypox. According to the CDC.

People who self-identify as being part of a population at high risk of exposure, in this case LGBTQ men, transgender people, and gender non-binary people who have sex with men, are also subject to this shot. increase. People who have had skin-to-skin contact with someone on their social network experiencing monkeypox activity may also get an injection.

Most of the vaccine supply is going to New York City and its suburbs, where the biggest outbreaks are.

In upstate New York, immunization clinics have been run by health departments in Saratoga, Albany, Rockland, Erie, Monroe and Sullivan counties, but are currently out of doses of JYNNEOS.

Henry, 55, of Menans, who asked only to give his first name, said he had been trying for days to find a vaccine, but was unsuccessful.

“The doctor referred me to the state. The state referred me to the county. The county put me on a callback list because there is no vaccine,” he said in an email. is a public health “crisis”… When will the response to the crisis begin? When will it start spreading to heterosexuals? I’m feeling 1983 again.

Despite recent efforts to focus resources on higher-risk populations, such as the LGBTQ community and people of color, the apparent racial and gender gaps between monkeypox patients and vaccinees have not improved. not.

Women now make up about 7.2% of vaccine recipients outside New York City, up from 6.4% two weeks ago. There are four of her women with confirmed monkeypox infections outside of New York City, accounting for her 2% of cases.

More than half of confirmed monkeypox cases are black or Hispanic, according to the latest state data. But as of August 28, only 14% of vaccinees outside of New York City are Hispanic and 9% are Black, up from 8% two weeks ago.

State health officials said the CDC is accelerating the rollout of Phase 4, the next phase of distribution. This will allow the vaccine to reach more eligible New Yorkers more quickly. A fourth federal shipment of the vaccine is expected early next week, according to a Department of Health spokesperson.

US Food and Drug Administration regulators recently approved an alternative vaccine administration method to maximize vaccine supply.

Administering the vaccine intradermally, or between layers of the skin rather than under the skin, could increase bandwidth fivefold while using a smaller dose, health officials say.

“Our main goal is to prevent the spread of this virus by boosting the immunity of as many at-risk individuals as possible,” State Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett said in a recent report. said in a statement. “Delivery of this latest vaccine vial from the federal government, delivered by a newly approved method of administration, means more vaccines can be given to more people.”

Providers have already begun ordering supplies, training, and preparing for intradermal administration of the JYNNEOS vaccine, which was approved Aug. 29, a DOH spokesperson said.

In the metropolitan area, JYNNEOS injections were initially distributed through Saratoga County, a state health official said due to its status as a tourist destination.

Since then, Albany County has distributed 640 JYNNEOS, most of which are administered through community organizations such as Centro Civico, In Our Own Voices, Capital District Latinos, Capital Pride, Damien Center and Alliance Health. County spokeswoman Mary Rosack said.

There have been nine monkeypox cases in the area so far, including four in Albany County, two in Columbia, two in Green and one in Schenectady.