After legacy of LGBTQ support, this Rehoboth nonprofit's next move? Monkeypox vaccinations

One man rode on his bicycle into the shaded patio off Baltimore Avenue in downtown Rehoboth Beach, a smile on his face as he checked in with the two volunteers sitting under mini rectangular rainbow flags and handing out masks and hand sanitizer.

It was the first monkeypox vaccine clinic hosted by a community organization in Delaware, and the volunteers and few staff members at CAMP Rehoboth were ready for its expected 200 visitors even before the doors were scheduled to open at 9 a.m. Tuesday.

Usually filled with the harmonies from choir performances or applause after plays, the atrium had been transformed. Volunteers slid over information packets and two vaccination stations were set up with nurses already tearing open sanitizing wipes and administering the first doses as people arrived early for their timed appointments.

While vacationers milled about and chatted over iced coffees at a nearby café, many Rehoboth Beach residents visited the vaccine clinic and commented on how smoothly and efficiently it seemed to run.

The plan was to vaccinate three people every five minutes, said Lisa Evans, CAMP Rehoboth’s interim director, and they already seemed to be ahead of schedule only an hour into the clinic.

As people trickled inside, Evans said it was a much more tranquil scene than what CAMP Rehoboth staff and volunteers experienced last week when the appointments first opened and the phones never seemed to stop ringing with people asking how to sign up.

The Rehoboth Beach nonprofit is one of two community groups hosting monkeypox vaccine clinics this week. CAMP Rehoboth filled all 200 of its open appointments within hours on Aug. 16, and AIDS Delaware and the HIV Consortium – which are partnering with the state health department for a clinic on Thursday – had filled all of its Wilmington appointments in a few days.

Evans estimated that the organization received another 100 calls after filling its slots last week. There is a clear need and desire to get vaccinated, especially after the state expanded access to the vaccine this month.

While some people were able to get on a waitlist, Evans said the organization was not adding any new names to its waitlist or referring people to the Wilmington site on Monday. On the day of the clinic, she had a few names of people who she knew were local and could get to the clinic in case there was a last-minute cancellation.

But everyone seemed to be showing up as of 10:30 a.m.

Many of the people who got vaccinated, like Rehoboth residents Randy Butt and Emerson Bramble, recognized that this was an important vaccine and Butt said he felt “wonderful” to be able to access the shots now. Others similarly commented on how they called right away and were grateful that CAMP Rehoboth was able to host this vaccine clinic and contribute to preventing more spread of monkeypox.

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Scott Ennis, another Rehoboth resident, said he appreciated that they not only got vaccinated, but they left armed with more information about monkeypox.

One of the biggest messages that CAMP Rehoboth and state public health employees were pushing from the moment people signed in: The vaccine is not effective until two weeks after the second dose.

Those who were vaccinated on Tuesday are expected to come back to CAMP Rehoboth for their second shot on Sept. 20.

Who is receiving the vaccine right now?

This clinic comes after the Division of Public Health expanded access to the monkeypox vaccine starting on Aug. 15, with eligibility extending to people who are living with HIV, as well as those receiving a medication used to prevent HIV − known as pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP.

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As of Monday, the following people were also eligible for the vaccine, according to DPH:

• Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and have had multiple (more than one) or any anonymous sexual partners.

• Transgender women or nonbinary people assigned male at birth who have sex with men.

• Sex workers (of any sexual orientation and gender).

• Staff (of any sexual orientation and gender) at establishments where sexual activity occurs, including bathhouses, saunas or sex clubs.

People of a variety of ages attended the Rehoboth Beach vaccine clinic on Tuesday.

Evans said about 90% or more seemed to be coming from Sussex County based on their ZIP codes, and more than a half dozen people who spoke with Delaware Online/The News Journal said they were from the Rehoboth Beach area.

One local resident T.D. Stanger said he has been involved with CAMP Rehoboth for many years and has seen how the organization has supported the LGBTQ community time and again, especially during points in history when Rehoboth Beach – now often known for its inclusivity – had been discriminatory or resistant to people of different sexualities and gender identities.

Now, as the LGBTQ community continues to fight against the stigma related to monkeypox, Stanger said it’s important to have CAMP Rehoboth at the helm.

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“It’s probably more instrumental than you could even imagine,” Stanger said.

For example, the Rehoboth resident said, CAMP Rehoboth has often acted as a bridge organization to connect people with HIV resources when access to that information or preventative medication can be harder to come by in the standard medical setting.

Even Stanger said he had experienced shaming from a doctor who questioned why he needed access to medication that could prevent him from becoming infected with an incurable disease.

Where else can you get the vaccine?

While both clinics in Rehoboth Beach and Wilmington have filled up, vaccines are still available through other providers.

As of Monday, anyone who is eligible can sign up for the monkeypox vaccine at Beebe Healthcare.

To schedule an appointment, visit beebehealthcare.org/online-scheduling and select “monkeypox vaccine.” Available appointments start on Friday, Aug. 26, and walk-ins will not be accepted.

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The state public health division has also been administering the vaccine at its clinics by appointment only. At the Aug. 16 town hall in Rehoboth Beach, Molly Magarik, Cabinet secretary at DHSS, said the state has the capacity to give more than 900 shots in a week.

To sign up for one of these DPH appointments, people can call the state’s monkeypox hotline number: 866-408-1899.

The state is working with additional community organizations to set up more vaccine clinics. Evans at CAMP Rehoboth said they are urging for more vaccine access, especially after how quickly appointments filled up last week, and they hope to offer more opportunities for vaccines in the future.

Does Delaware have enough vaccines?

Public health officials like Magarik have said that Delaware remains behind in monkeypox vaccines when looking at the number of cases and people exposed.

While Delaware only had 17 cases as of Aug. 22, according to the CDC monkeypox case tracker, Magarik said it’s likely people will travel to the beaches or elsewhere in Delaware and test positive after returning to another state.

And the federal distribution of vaccine doses depends on the case count within the state.

States could apply to receive more vaccines on Aug. 15, and after the Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization that allowed states to administer a smaller dose of the vaccine under the skin instead of into the muscle, Delaware expected to receive 5,000 doses.

However, several public health departments across the country have raised concerns that they will not be able to extract exactly five doses out of a single vial, and because of that, they are not receiving the maximum amount of vaccine.

Before Tuesday’s clinic, Division of Public Health administrator Don Post said the team ran a trial and determined that they could get between three and five doses from one vial, with four being the average. Post said this is not a significant concern for the state, especially considering how many vaccines were often discarded during COVID-19 vaccinations.

The other concern, Magarik said at the earlier town hall, is that public health officials do not know how much vaccine they will get after this most recent distribution. It’s why she and others have stressed the importance of advocacy and working with Delaware’s federal delegation.

Emily Lytle covers Sussex County from the inland towns to the beaches, with a focus on health-related issues. Got a story she should tell? Contact her at elytle@delmarvanow.com or 302-332-0370. Follow her on Twitter at @emily3lytle.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Monkeypox in Delaware: How CAMP Rehoboth vaccinated 200 people