NYC launches more than 12,000 new monkeypox vaccine appointments
NEW YORK -- New York City offered more than 12,000 new appointments for the monkeypox vaccine starting Wednesday night.
Appointments were made available at 6 p.m. on the city's website or by calling 877-VAX-4-NYC.
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The city is rolling out a new vaccination strategy to stretch out the supply. A smaller dose will be given just below the skin, instead of deep into the arm.
Health officials discussed their ongoing efforts to fight the outbreak Wednesday.
"In an environment of extremely constrained vaccine supply, we have adopted a delayed second dose strategy. After reviewing the data, we have concluded that significant protection is conferred from a single dose, if not as much as two doses. This has allowed us to protect more people through first-dose vaccination and to help slow the spread of the virus," New York City Health Commissioner Dr. Ashwin Vasan said.
Vasan says there are about 2,800 confirmed cases of monkeypox in New York City.
Although we're still the epicenter in the United States, he said in recent days, the city has seen the number of cases fall and transmission slow down due to vaccinations.