El Paso health officials confirm fourth case of monkeypox, expand vaccine administration

El Paso has a fourth monkeypox case, city public health officials announced this week.

The latest patient is a man in his 30s, officials said in a news release, adding he is recovering at home.

The city’s epidemiology team is investigating and is conducting contact tracing. The epidemiology team is working to identify people who have had close contact with him and is offering the monkeypox vaccine to those individuals.

The city’s Department of Public Health announced the expansion of its administration of the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine to high-risk individuals 18 and older.

On Wednesday, the department began administering the monkeypox vaccine by appointment only at the city’s Community Clinic at 9341 Alameda Ave.

Residents can call the appointment line at 915-212-6843. Clinic hours are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

“This is a positive step in preventing monkeypox disease in our high-risk populations,” City-County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza said in the news release. “Immunization is vital to keep our vulnerable community members safe from contracting monkeypox. But prevention is also part of the foundation to stop the spread of this disease.”

The JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine is approved and recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for people 18 and older who are at high risk for monkeypox infection.

The vaccine also is approved for children and youths younger than 18 with known exposure or concern of monkeypox virus infection. The JYNNEOS vaccine is a series of two doses administered 28 days apart. Peak immunity is expected 14 days after the second dose of the vaccine.

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by infection with the monkeypox virus and is not related to chickenpox, according to the news release. The monkeypox virus is part of the same family of viruses as the variola virus, which causes smallpox. Symptoms are similar to those of smallpox but milder, and monkeypox is rarely fatal.

Rash is the key sign of monkeypox. Other signs and symptoms usually start within three weeks of exposure to the virus. People can experience flu-like symptoms and then will usually develop a rash one to four days later. The rash can look like pimples or blisters that can be very painful and can appear anywhere on the body.

Other symptoms of monkeypox include:

· Fever

· Swollen glands

· Headache

· Muscle aches and backache

· Chills

· Exhaustion

For more information, visit EPHealth.com.

City of El Paso offers free COVID-19 testing kiosks

The city of El Paso announced that on Friday it will start offering free COVID-19 testing using kiosks at various locations.

Most of the kiosks will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, the city said in a news release. The tests are free for people who are symptomatic, have been exposed, or are at high risk, regardless of insurance status.

The TestAndGo Fully Automated Healthcare Kiosks are sponsored by the city of El Paso in partnership with the CDC’s Increasing Community Access to Testing program.

The kiosks are at:

· Esperanza Acosta Moreno Branch Library, 12480 Pebble Hills Blvd; open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It is located outside the building next to the rear parking lot.

· Arturo “Tury” Benavides Cielo Vista Transit Center, 1165 Sunmount Drive; open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Located outside next to vending machines.

· Al Jefferson Westside Transit Center, 7535 Remcon Circle; open from 4:30 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Located inside the building next to vending machines.

· University of Texas at El Paso, 3333 N. Mesa St.; open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Across the street from Kern Drive.

Residents can register online at https://register.testandgo.com or access the registration app by scanning the QR code on the machine. After you register, scan your QR confirmation code at the kiosk and a test kit will be dispensed. Follow the instructions in the kit to perform the test, which uses a nasal swab to collect the specimen. Once the specimen is collected, drop off your sample in the kiosk’s collection box. Specimens are picked up daily for PCR testing.

Test results will be sent via text or email within 48 hours from your test date. For questions about test results, call 800-402-0000 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. on Saturday.

For information about alternative testing sites, visit EPStrong.org.

Immunize El Paso offers children COVID-19 booster vaccines

Immunize El Paso is offering bivalent COVID-19 booster vaccines to children.

It received vaccines produced by Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna. Since September, Immunize El Paso has administered 3,874 bivalent vaccines.

Officials said in a news release that the bivalent booster will play a major role in limiting the severity of COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations and deaths this winter.

“It’s understandable that people may not believe they need another vaccine, but this is the most important vaccine yet,” Immunize El Paso Director Danny Acosta said in a news release. “There are two strains of the Omicron virus, BA.4 and BA.5, that are infecting people today. The new COVID-19 vaccine bivalent is the only vaccine to protect against those strains of the virus.”

While many people have some protection from previous vaccines and COVID infections, national studies show the new booster still could save thousands of lives, the news release said.

Immunize El Paso offers pop-up clinics throughout the Borderland to facilitate the administration of the COVID-19 bivalent booster, along with flu and pneumonia vaccines.

For locations and times, visit https://www.immunizeelpaso.org/2022-flu-clinic-outreach-locations/

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: El Paso sees fourth monkeypox case, offers free COVID-19 test kiosks