'Very preventable epidemic,' Doctors, patients want Massachusetts to boost monkeypox vaccine supply
BOSTON - Massachusetts has opened more clinics to administer the monkeypox vaccine, but doctors and patients say more supply is needed to keep up with demand.
There are currently 3,590 confirmed cases in the United States, according to the CDC. More than any other country in the world. The CDC reports 96 confirmed cases in Massachusetts.
As of Wednesday, the CDC reported shipping 7,007 doses of monkeypox vaccines to Massachusetts. The state's Department of Public Health reported it had given out 2,952 doses as of July 20.
WBZ has reached out to the Department of Public Health to check-in on the status of the roughly 4,000 unaccounted doses. The Dept. of Public Health continues to decline interviewing for stories regarding monkeypox.
In the meantime, clinics in nearly a dozen cities across the state are now administering vaccines.
Many people tell WBZ they have called and been instructed to leave a voicemail, only to get a call back days later.
As it currently stands, only people who are deemed close contact, have more than two sexual partners in 14 days, or have a known exposure to monkeypox can get a vaccine.
"It has been extremely busy. People are here to get vaccinated," said Dr. Kenneth Mayer of Fenway Health. The Boston clinic one of the 13 in the state administering vaccines.
"This was a very preventable epidemic. Unlike COVID, we know what causes it," said Mayer. "There are already existing vaccines, so the issue is scaling up the vaccine production and distribution."
Massachusetts is currently only administering the first dose of the two-shot vaccine in an effort to get more doses to more people. Doctors said one shot is proven to provide a high level of protection.
"One dose may not protect you for life if you are a very young person, but it will protect you for many years," said Dr. Marty Hirsch at Mass General Hospital.
Shane Shishov was diagnosed with monkeypox at the beginning of July. The 27-year-old was isolated in his apartment in Provincetown nearly the entirety of his 26 days of symptoms.
"I am healthy. I am glad and ready to get back to work," said Shishov. "For a little bit it was a little bit of a mental struggle but it's smoothing itself out."
Shishov is calling on the state and federal government to increase vaccine supply and administration with the goal of stopping the spread of a disease he knows all too well.
"Just living through it and seeing it, I feel like anyone and everyone who wants this shot, where so many people didn't even want the COVID shot, (should get it). Now you have people trying very hard to get this shot and they are being told no. It's a little bizarre," said Shishov.
On Wednesday, the FDA approved nearly 750,000 doses of vaccine to come into the US. It is unclear how that vaccine will be allocated.