Monkeypox vaccine continues slow rollout
An employee prepares a syringe with Bavarian Nordic's vaccine (Imvanex / Jynneos) against monkeypox at Klinikum rechts der Isar.
San Francisco -
The San Francisco Aids Foundation held an appointments only monkeypox clinic, to administer 500 vaccinations to community members in its San Francisco Castro District health center. With vaccine supplies still way behind demand, people were selected from a waiting list of 3,400 people wanting the inoculation; many of them are at high risk.
"Over Pride Weekend, a lot of folks in the community have started to become symptomatic; meaning they're showing some symptoms of monkeypox, they're concerned," said the San Francisco Aids Foundation's Ben Cabangun. "They're going into a clinic to get screened."
Monkeypox is transmitted by infected body fluids, small droplets, contaminated objects, and possibly airborne.
The vaccine is 85-percent effective in preventing infection in and lessening the severity of the disease. But, but only if there is enough of it. And, it doesn't now have a lot of telltale pre-symptoms.
"Right now, the only way that we can screen somebody for monkeypox is if they have an active lesion that we can get a swab and send into a lab," said Cabangun.
Nt everyone has monkeypox anxiety.
"I don't. No, I'm just enjoying this beautiful city. That's all," said San Francisco Giant's fan Sosena Woldegiorgis.
"Monkeypox isn't a high concern for me higher is Covid, it's everywhere, even if you're double vaccinated. I'm double vaccinated, double boosted and everything," said Sacramento Giant's Fan Bob Wissmath.
"Covid now is a main concern. Monkeypox doesn't seem as transmittable, and it seems like the transmission methods are a lot more limited," said Sacramento Giants Fan Robert Romero.
Those with concerns were not besides themselves. "We always need be worried about it. But, as we all know, we had Covid prior, and we're going to need to learn how to live with," said Waneza Wallace.
Experts say the general public, does not need to worry, vaccine and an array of new, fast lab test kits are in the pipeline.