Baltimore has received an additional 500 Monkeypox vaccine doses, health department says
BALTIMORE -- Baltimore has received an additional 500 doses of the Monkeypox vaccine, bringing the total number of shots to 700, the city health department said Tuesday.
Per the agency, vaccinations are limited to people in the following groups "who have had two or more casual or anonymous sexual partners in the past two weeks":
- Men who have sex with men
- Trans women
- Nonbinary people assigned male at birth
- People of any gender who "engage in transactional sex"
Qualified residents can contact the health department's Sexual Health Clinics starting Thursday, Aug. 4 at 9 a.m.
- Eastern, 1200 E. Fayette St., (410) 396-9410
- Druid, 1515 W North Ave., (410) 396-0176
Symptoms of the virus, which are similar to those of smallpox but milder by comparison, include fever, headache, muscle aches and exhaustion, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Infected individuals are known to develop a rash on the face and other parts of the body.
To avoid infection, it is recommended that people avoid contact with those who have symptoms, wear a face mask around others and wash their hands frequently with soap and water or hand sanitizer.
As of Tuesday, the CDC has reported 6,326 monkeypox/orthopoxvirus cases across the U.S., including 149 in Maryland.
Gov. Larry Hogan earlier Tuesday said the state is conducting extensive contact tracing after people contract the virus and regularly communicating with local health officers.
"While vaccine supply from the federal government is severely limited at this time, anyone who believes that they may need testing or treatment should contact their healthcare provider or local health department immediately," he said. "We will keep pressing the federal government to provide more vaccines to the states and do all we can to make resources available to those at risk."
Dr. Jinlene Chan, the Maryland Department of Health's deputy secretary for public health services, said the state's available doses are being sent to areas with high case counts and high-risk populations.
"We plan to expand access to the vaccine as more supply becomes available," she said.