New York City Opens Mass Vaccination Sites to Combat Monkeypox Outbreak

People wait in line to recieve the Monkeypox vaccine before the opening of a new mass vacc
KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images
Penny Starr

New York City now has three mass vaccination sites set up to combat the growing monkeypox outbreak in its five boroughs.

NYC Health Commissioner Ashwin Vasan toured one of the sites in Bushwick, Brooklyn, on Friday to highlight how the city is addressing the spread of the virus that has infected almost 500 people, many of them gay men, the demographic that is seeing the highest number of infections.

The health commission tweeted on Friday about the outbreak:

As of July 15, 490 confirmed orthopoxvirus/monkeypox cases have been identified, with 461 in NYC, 16 in Westchester Cnty, 4 in Suffolk, 3 in Nassau, 1 in Sullivan, 1 in Chemung, 1 in Rockland, 1 in Erie, 1 in St. Lawrence & 1 in Monroe Cnty. 

People wait in line to recieve the Monkeypox vaccine before the opening of a new mass vaccination site at the Bushwick Education Campus in Brooklyn on July 17, 2022, in New York City. (Photo by Kena Betancur / AFP) (Photo by KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

People wait in line to receive the Monkeypox vaccine before the opening of a new mass vaccination site at the Bushwick Education Campus in Brooklyn on July 17, 2022, in New York City. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

The local CBS affiliate reported on the development: 

The three sites are by appointment only. They’re located as Aviation High School in Queens, Bushwick Education in Brooklyn and Bronx High School of Science.

More than 9,000 appointments were available on the city’s online portal Friday, but were fully booked within minutes. The Health Department said more doses from the federal government are expected to arrive this week.

About 4,000 additional doses will be made available through referrals by community partner organizations that serve high-risk patients.

“We need resources out here in the Bronx to be able to combat, attack monkeypox before it becomes a problem because as far as I’m concerned, the rate is insane,” Lu Espinal, a Norwood resident, said in the CBS report.

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