Monkeypox vaccine appointments in Suffolk County fully booked in less than 1 hour
NEW YORK -- Appointments for the monkeypox vaccine on Long Island went fast Monday. As quickly as they became available online, they were booked.
Hundreds of new appointments for the vaccine were booked in Suffolk County in less than an hour Monday morning, CBS2's John Dias reported.
Those who snagged one can get the vaccine later this week at one of six pop-up clinics on Fire Island in Cherry Grove and the Pines - popular gay destinations.
"It just shows that we need more. This is about people taking ownership of their own health and other peoples' health," LGBT Network CEO David Klimnick said.
Monkeypox is a rare, viral infection that usually does not cause serious illness, according to health officials. While anyone can get it, the vaccine is prioritized for the most vulnerable.
Klimnick said monkeypox is a public health issue and it's good that appointments were booked so quickly.
"The gay and bisexual male community is taking ownership for its health and making sure that we stop the spread," Klimnick said.
Current cases are primarily spreading among social networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, officials said, but others are at risk too.
"We don't want to go back to era of AIDS and HIV where they stigmatized gay community for spreading this virus," Dr. Aftab Khan said. "Anyone with close, physical contact can have monkeypox."
New York City leaders are pressuring the feds to do more. Friday's numbers showed 174 confirmed monkeypox cases in the state, including 160 in the city.
Long lines continue to form outside city health clinics, even with appointments. The federal government said it will take several months to deliver the 4.1 million doses it has already promised.
City Council Member Erik Bottcher said they need to pick up the pace.
"The city only received 6,000 doses from the feds," Bottcher said. "We need the federal government to come through now. It's totally unacceptable that, having just come off a pandemic, we're getting caught flat-footed like this."
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene announced approximately 2,500 new appointments will become available on Tuesday.