Only 15 minutes after a limited number of monkeypox vaccination appointments were made available this week, DC Health said all 300 appointments had been snagged.
Only 15 minutes after a limited number of monkeypox vaccination appointments were made available this week, DC Health said all 300 appointments had been snagged.
Officials said to check DC Health’s monkeypox vaccination website, or their social platforms Wednesday morning, to receive updates on future availability.
The District is providing the vaccinations free of charge to residents 18 and older who belong to the most at-risk groups, which are listed as:
- Gay, bisexual, and other men 18 and older who have sex with men and have had multiple (more than one) sexual partners or any anonymous sexual partners in the last 14 days; or
- Transgender women or nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with men; or
- Sex workers (of any sexual orientation/gender); or
- Staff (of any sexual orientation/gender) at establishments where sexual activity occurs (e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs)
The first time to receive the vaccine was Monday afternoon, but appointments were taken within hours.
Though appointments have been filled for now, the vaccination clinics located at 7530 Georgia Ave NW are scheduled to occur on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m.
DC Health has not yet announced if that schedule will continue in the coming weeks.
As demand for appointments appears to be high, the city recommends visiting DC Health’s official vaccination website for regular updates and availability.
Monkeypox is a rare viral illness that is quickly spreading throughout the globe. In the last two months, the virus has gone from statistically nonexistent to 3,000 cases in 50 countries, according to the World Health Organization.
Though most cases do not require hospitalization, monkeypox is potentially fatal, highly contagious and uncomfortable, the release said.
According to DC Health, the initial symptoms for monkeypox include “flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash and lesions on the skin.”
If you are displaying symptoms of the virus, or would like to be tested for its parent strain, orthopoxvirus, DC Health recommends visiting your health care provider or local wellness clinic.
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