Colorado tries to avoid monkeypox outbreak, state hosts vaccine clinic
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment will be hosting three vaccine clinics this week as the number of monkeypox cases has risen to nine in Colorado. All nine cases are in the Denver metro area and nationwide that number has grown to 865, according to the CDC.
So far nearly 700 vaccines have been administered in Colorado and around 400 are scheduled to be given out this week. Vaccines are use both to prevent and to short current infections. The doses of the two-jab vaccine are limited, and the state will limit eligibility to the most at-risk groups.
"The vaccine has been extremely limited. It's not available commercially so any vaccines supply we'll able to administer is from our federal partners. So, with that extremely limited amount of vaccine we're really focusing our efforts on those individuals who might be at greater risk who had contact with a known case of monkeypox," said Nicole Comstock, Interim Branch Chief of the Communicable Branch of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
With the limited vaccine available, CDPHE has closed the form to sign up and they say it's because they aren't enough vaccines available right now. They are also concerned they could run out of vaccines before Saturday's clinic.
"As we get more vaccines, we will be opening that form up again and we will have the ability to schedule more appointments. As it stands right now, we had more interest in vaccine than we had vaccines, so we are putting a hold on getting more people registered so that we could catch up with our waitlist," Comstock said.
Eligible Coloradans include men 18 and older who are gay, bisexual, or who have multiple or anonymous sex partners in the past 14 days, anyone who believes they have been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox in the past two weeks is also eligible. If you need the money pox vaccine, you are encouraged to continue to check CDPHE's website.
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