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New York City made another batch of monkeypox vaccines available Tuesday, but a website to book appointments crashed within minutes due to overwhelming demand, health officials said.
About 267 New Yorkers have already tested positive for monkeypox, a virus that is similar to smallpox with milder symptoms.
Nearly 7,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine have been provided in New York since June 23. Another 14,500 vaccines are expected to arrive later this week.
Workers sit outside DC Health’s first monkeypox vaccination clinic, which is administering the first doses of Jynneos vaccine distributed in the U.S. capital, in Washington, U.S., June 28, 2022. (REUTERS/Gavino Garay)
“We will advise New Yorkers when more appointments can be made,” the New York City Health Department tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
“We apologize for the disappointment caused and are working to build a robust appointment infrastructure as we roll out more appointments as vaccine supplies increase in the coming weeks.”
On Tuesday, Washington DC Health announced that residents can pre-register for monkeypox vaccine online.
According to the agency, pre-registered individuals will receive an email invitation to make an appointment once they become available. On Thursday, July 14, 3,000 appointments will be available to eligible District residents.
In addition to being 18 years of age and living in Washington, eligible vaccine applicants must meet one of the following descriptions:
- Gay, bisexual and other men aged 18 and over who have sex with men and have had multiple sexual partners or any anonymous sexual partners in the past 14 days
- Transgender women or non-binary individuals identified as male at birth who have sex with men
- Sex workers
- Staff in establishments where there is sexual activity, including baths, saunas, sex clubs
Vaccination appointments are free and subject to availability. Residents who do not meet the requirement are encouraged to register in advance. If eligibility is expanded, people who have already registered will be notified of available appointments first.
In Chicago, the virus was first detected more than a month ago. Since then, 105 Chicago residents have been diagnosed with the virus, health officials said.
The cases mostly involved men having sex with men, officials said. The city began offering targeted vaccinations.
The city has already received 5,409 doses of the monkeypox vaccine from the federal government, said Massimo Pacilli, deputy commissioner of disease control for the Chicago Department of Public Health. The spread is aimed at people who may be at higher risk because of their sexual activity.
Nationally, 929 cases of monkeypox have been found in dozens of states, according to CDC data.
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The first commercial testing for monkeypox was launched in the US last week as health officials scramble to step up surveillance of the virus.
The White House announced that 1.6 million doses of the Jynneos vaccine will be available by the end of this year.
In this graphic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, symptoms of one of the first known cases of the monkeypox virus are shown on a patient’s arm. (CDC/Getty Images)
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More than 10,000 cases have been detected since May worldwide, prompting the World Health Organization to reconvene a panel as early as next week to determine whether the outbreak should be designated a global health emergency.
Symptoms of monkeypox include high fever, chills, and fatigue, followed by a rash that develops into lesions.
Sarah Rumpf is a digital production assistant at Fox News. You can reach her on Twitter at @rumpfsarahc
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