NYC Expands Eligibility for Monkeypox Vaccine; to Open 30,000+ New Appointments

The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced Wednesday it is expanding the eligibility for monkeypox vaccination by adopting a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) model by reaching people who may be exposed in the future -- all in an attempt to protect more New Yorkers.

The city will open 30,000 new appointments at 4 p.m. Thursday, under new eligibility guidelines.

“As a community working closely together, we have radically reversed the trajectory of this virus,” NYC Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said in a statement. “By introducing preexposure prophylaxis vaccination – or reaching people who may be exposed in the future – we will protect even more New Yorkers and continue to blunt this outbreak.”

The new guidelines include:

• people of any sexual orientation or gender identity who have or may have multiple (more than 1) or anonymous sex partners, or participate or may participate in group sex;
• people of any sexual orientation or gender identity whose sex partners are eligible based on the criteria above;
• people who know or suspect they have been exposed to monkeypox in the last 14 days; and 
• people who consider themselves to be at risk for monkeypox through sex or other intimate contact.

To date more than 130,000 first and second doses of the monkeypox vaccine have been administered.

New Yorkers who received their first doses are strongly advised to get their second doses 28 days after their first. Walk-in appointments are available.

To find a location where vaccine is available, go to https://vaccinefinder.nyc.gov/.

Additionally, the city announced it will refer to monkeypox as MPV since the "previous name is an inaccurate and stigmatizing label for a virus that is primarily affecting a community that has already suffered a long history of bigotry."

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