Demand for monkeypox vaccine increasing in Massachusetts, supply not keeping up
BOSTON - Monkeypox is continuing to spread throughout the state and the wait to get an appointment for a shot is growing.
During its first shipment more than two weeks ago, Massachusetts received more than 2,000 doses to be administered at four clinics in Boston and Provincetown.
As of this week, The Department of Health and Human Services said a total of 7,007 doses have come into Massachusetts with a total of 11 clinics up and running statewide.
But many people online report difficulty getting an appointment.
"It is not a simple or intuitive process to get this," said 37-year-old Eric Crumwine.
Crumwine said he tried to get an appointment for a monkeypox vaccine last week after learning he was eligible.
"I got through the screening questions and got told someone would call you in 2-3 business days to schedule," said Crumwine. "That was eight days ago, and I have gotten no phone call."
In the meantime, Crumwine said he continued to call other locations before landing an appointment for next week.
That wait time concerning for some who point out the required risk of exposure for vaccine eligibility.
The Centers for Disease Control reports Massachusetts had 53 confirmed cases of monkeypox. The agency reports 2,107 confirmed cases nationwide.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb on CBS's "Face the Nation," said the US had passed the point of containment.
"We made a lot of the same mistakes we made with COVID with this," said Gottlieb. "Having a very narrow case definition, not having enough testing early enough, not deploying vaccine in an aggressive fashion. Now this is firmly embedded in the community."
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health would not say when it might receive more doses or what clinics might get them in the future. Instead, they referred WBZ back to previous press releases.
Crumwine said most of the information he had been able to find has come from within the LGBTQ community. Neighbor helping neighbor.
"Primarily everyone I see sharing information about getting access to appointments are LGBTQ+ folks that are trying to do their best to make sure the community is protected," said Crumwine.