More Oklahomans will soon be eligible for monkeypox vaccinations
Monkeypox vaccinations will be more widely accessible starting next week in Oklahoma, as federal health authorities have made dosing changes that allow states to stretch their vaccine supplies further.
Up until this point, the Oklahoma State Department of Health has reserved vaccinations for people who have been exposed to monkeypox or people who may encounter the virus in their work, like lab technicians and certain health care workers.
Beginning Monday, the vaccine will be available at county health departments in Oklahoma to a third category of people at risk for monkeypox: anyone who identifies as a gay or bisexual man, a man who has sex with men, or transgender and has had any of the following in the last two weeks:
Sex with two or more partners
Sex at a commercial sex venue
Sex in association with an event or venue
Sex in a geographical area where monkeypox is circulating at high levels
People who have had skin-to-skin contact with a person diagnosed with monkeypox or skin-to-skin contact or sex at an event or venue linked with monkeypox cases are also eligible.
Those guidelines come from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and some parts of the country have already been giving vaccinations to people who meet that criteria.
“Where we were previously is that we did not have enough vaccine to cover that third category,” said state epidemiologist Jolianne Stone.
But a recent change from the CDC and the Food and Drug Administration has allowed states to stretch their supply of monkeypox vaccines further. Previously, one vial of vaccine was one dose, but using a new injection method, one vial is enough for five doses.
Stone said on Thursday that Oklahoma has asked for 3,636 vials of the vaccine, which is enough for over 18,000 doses. The vaccine is given in two doses four weeks apart.
There were also changes to storage requirements that allowed the state Health Department to distribute the vaccine more widely across the state. Previously, for example, the monkeypox vaccine could only be refrigerated for a maximum of 12 hours; now, it can be kept refrigerated for up to eight weeks if the vial is unopened, Stone said.
Where to get a vaccine in Oklahoma
Starting Monday, all county health departments across Oklahoma should have supplies of the monkeypox vaccine to give out, Stone said.
If someone believes they’re eligible and wants to be vaccinated, they can contact their county health department or their health care provider, she said.
People may call 211, option 8, to learn where they can get the vaccine and find out if they qualify.
The Tulsa Health Department has set up a website for people to schedule a vaccine appointment if they’re eligible.
For people over 18, the vaccine will now be given intradermally, which means it’s injected into the upper layer of the skin. It was previously given subcutaneously, which means it’s injected underneath the skin.
What to know about monkeypox
Monkeypox isn’t a sexually transmitted infection, but in this outbreak it has predominantly been spreading through skin-to-skin contact, including sexual contact, experts have said.
Anyone can get monkeypox through contact with someone infected by it. In this outbreak, it’s been mainly — though not exclusively — spreading among men who have sex with men.
Oklahoma has recorded 17 cases of monkeypox as of Friday, still much lower than places seeing it spreading at the highest levels. New York and California, for example, have reported over 2,600 cases each.
Monkeypox symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches, swollen lymph nodes and a rash of fluid-filled bumps on the skin that eventually scab over and fall off.
If you think you have monkeypox or you have questions about symptoms, contact the state Health Department’s on-call epidemiologist at 405-426-8710.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma is expanding monkeypox vaccine eligibility. What to know
