Monkeypox is now a national emergency. What to know about vaccines in Oklahoma
The Oklahoma Health Department hopes to be able to offer monkeypox vaccines to people in high-risk groups who want protection against the virus at some point in the future, a spokeswoman said this week.
But for now, that's not the case. Vaccines aren’t widely accessible and remain in short supply in the state.
Instead, through the Oklahoma Health Department’s contact tracing efforts, it’s offering the monkeypox vaccine to residents who have been exposed to the virus.
The U.S. outbreak of monkeypox — a virus that causes fever, chills and painful lesions on the body — was declared a national public health emergency this week. That changes little for the state’s response to the outbreak, Health Department spokeswoman Erica Rankin-Riley said Friday.
“A (public health emergency) could open the door for opportunities to increase funding sources for purchasing of supplies or personnel, but that is likely to be the extent,” she said.
Cases in Oklahoma still remain low compared with other parts of the country.
More:Monkeypox cases rise in Oklahoma, across U.S. What to know about vaccination, testing
As of Thursday, Oklahoma has reported 11 cases of monkeypox, which is much lower than what some more populous coastal states have recorded. New York, for example, has reported more than 1,700 cases, and California has over 800.
Some states and cities with more cases and more supply of vaccines on hand have offered vaccination clinics for people at high risk of contracting monkeypox.
U.S. monkeypox cases are spreading primarily among men who have sex with men, though anyone in close contact with a person infected with monkeypox can get it.
Currently in Oklahoma, there’s no way to request a dose of a monkeypox vaccine.
Oklahoma is using its limited supply of doses for post-exposure prophylaxis and to protect those who may come into contact with monkeypox through their work, like health care workers or lab technicians, state epidemiologist Jolianne Stone said previously.
Getting a vaccine shortly after being exposed to monkeypox can prevent a person from becoming infected or could reduce their symptoms if they do contract it.
More:Monkeypox is spreading through sex, but it's not an STI. Why calling it one is a problem.
How many vaccines does OK have?
Federal authorities have allocated about 5,500 doses of the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine to Oklahoma. Of those, Oklahoma has asked for 436 as of this week.
Rankin-Riley, the Health Department spokeswoman, said the state still has to meet certain criteria to request doses from the federal allocation, in part to ensure there are enough for people nationwide to receive second doses.
The state can request more doses as needed, she said.
“The JYNNEOS vaccine has very specific handling and storage requirements, so when we order vaccine to the state, we are working with our partners and providers to ensure they are able to house the vaccine,” Rankin-Riley said. “As the situation in Oklahoma evolves and when we see that we need to order more vaccine from our allocation through the (Strategic National Stockpile), we will do so.”
If you think you have monkeypox or think you've been exposed to the virus, contact your health provider or call the Oklahoma Health Department's on-call epidemiologist at 405-426-8710.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: How Oklahoma is using limited supply of monkeypox vaccines
