ST. LOUIS — UPDATE: The City of St. Louis Department of Health is hosting a monkeypox vaccination event Saturday.
Appointments are available from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. The event is being held in the first-floor conference room at the St. Louis Department of Health facility at 1520 Market Street.
Click here to schedule an appointment.
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Health leaders in the St. Louis region are working on a vaccine rollout for monkeypox and it's expanding who can get the jab for the virus.
In the last few days, the state of Missouri expanded eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine and announced a distribution plan.
The state's health department, the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has designated St. Louis County Health Department to act as the region's vaccine hub for St. Louis City and St. Louis County, St. Charles, and Jefferson County.
DHSS gave the department 1,900 vials to distribute.
"The demand for vaccine vastly exceed supply that we have," Nebu Kolenchery says.
Kolenchery is the Director for Communicable Disease Response at the St. Louis County Department of Public Health.
Kolenchery shares, "The monkeypox vaccination strategy right now is to try and reach people who are the highest risk of getting the disease, as well people being exposed to someone."
A portion of the vials will be reserved for health departments and health care providers in the region or across the state to protect close contacts of people with monkeypox.
The remaining vials would be for those who meet CDC criteria for being at high risk for the disease.
"That’s people that have sex with men and engage in certain high risks behaviors like group sex or transactional sex," Kolenchery adds.
The virus can is primarily spread through close skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or shared clothing or bedding.
Anyone can get monkeypox, however, the majority of cases involve gay or bisexual men.
Many people contract the virus through sexual intercourse.
Monkeypox patients usually have flu-like symptoms and fatigue, followed by a rash that looks like pimples, sores or blisters.
The vaccines
The plan is to be smart about vaccine usage and stretch the number of vials they have.
The departments will take guidance from the FDA to change the way the vaccine is given.
Shots will be administered intradermally, which means between the layers of the skin, rather than under the skin.
"They take a needle in your forearm and there's a small bubble," Kolenchery explains.
This allows providers to get five doses out of a standard one-dose vial.
The vaccine protects against the disease.
Kolenchery says though, "If given four days after the date of exposure, vaccination may reduce severe symptoms of disease, but may not prevent the disease."
Monkeypox vaccine requires two doses four weeks apart, with maximum effectiveness at least two weeks after the second dose.
Right now, Jefferson County and St. Charles County health departments do not have the vaccine, but we're told a shipment will be there next week.
St. Louis County Department of Public Health has requested additional doses and expects more from the state in the coming days, depending on nationwide availability.
As far as wanting more support, PROMO is demanding additional resources.
It's Missouri's LGBTQ equality and advocacy organization.
The Executive Director Katy Erker-Lynch shares this statement:
"It's important to recognize that anyone can become infected with monkeypox. In St. Louis, local governments received only 1900 vials for the entire region, and counties across Missouri lack the supply for everyone seeking vaccination--stigmatization, homophobia, and transphobia are contributing to the lack of prioritization of vaccine distribution. As members of the LGBTQ+ community, we have long faced stigma in health care offices and media alike just because of who we are--this experience is compounded for the most vulnerable in our community and we have a responsibility to help folks realize that anyone can become infected with monkeypox.”
Resources and survey
DHSS has set up a public survey to identify people who are at high risk for contracting monkeypox and may qualify for the initial round of doses.
To fill out the survey for the screening, click here.
For more information on monkeypox, click here.
On August 16th at 6 PM, the St. Louis City Department of Health is hosting an online event for Monkeypox - Stigma, Misinformation and Prevention.
For details on the event, click here.