Paul Chaplin, the chief executive officer of Bavarian Nordic, which makes the vaccine, said on Thursday that research shows one dose provides “robust protection.” dr. However, Bassett said full protection from the vaccine would not come until two weeks after the second dose.
What you need to know about the Monkeypox virus?
What is monkey pox? Monkeypox is a virus endemic to parts of Central and West Africa. It is similar to smallpox, but less serious. It was discovered in 1958, after outbreaks occurred in monkeys kept for research, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials in New York said people who fall into one of several categories are eligible for the vaccine:
Individuals with recent exposure to monkeypox in the past 14 days.
Those at high risk of recent monkeypox exposure, including members of the gay, bisexual, transgender, and other communities of men who have sex with men and who have had intimate or skin-to-skin contact with others within the past 14 days in areas where monkey pox is spreading.
Individuals who have had skin-to-skin contact with someone in a social network experiencing monkeypox activity, including men who have sex with men and meet partners through an online website, digital app, or social event, such as a bar or party.
Partly because the categories are broad, the demand for the vaccine is extremely high. All about 2,500 appointments went within minutes on Wednesday, health officials said.
Huge frustration over access to the vaccine skipped Wednesday as people spent hours not knowing if they missed the rollout or if more doses were coming.
Eugene Resnick, who works as a spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, said he spent nine hours refreshing the city’s webpage before finally getting an appointment when a second set was released just before 7 p.m.
“I am frustrated, angry, disappointed with the Ministry of Health,” he said. “I am an insider who works for the government. I can’t imagine it being accessible to the common person who isn’t on Twitter.”
Joseph Osmundson, a microbiologist and queer activist who is helping to increase access to the vaccine, said the city did well to open a clinic in Harlem, in addition to the one in Chelsea, to distribute the vaccine. , but that there is a more urgent effort to get more vaccines to the city soon.
“At every level there is such frustration in the community,” said Mr Osmundson. He said people he knows are trying to be careful but are getting increasingly angry at what they believe is a lack of urgency to protect the gay community in particular: “We feel like we’re being left behind and then blamed for the spread .”
