Miami-Dade County opens monkeypox vaccine appointment centres

Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava announced on Wednesday, August 10 that residents will now be able to set up appointments to get the monkeypox vaccine. The announcement was made as there have been 404 reported cases of monkeypox in Miami-Dade as of August 11.

There will be mobile health units provided by Nomi Health at two different locations in the county where people can get the monkeypox vaccine. The first is at Tropical Park, near the tennis courts, and the other is at Miami Beach on 23rd Street. Even though appointments could be made beginning Wednesday, the mobile health units will not start administering the vaccines until Friday, August 12.

Miami-Dade County has received 1,000 vials of vaccine, which will provide up to 5,000 vaccinations. A person will receive two doses, space four weeks apart, to be considered fully vaccinated. Over 600 people so far have signed up to get the monkeypox vaccine.

The vast majority of monkeypox cases have occurred in gay men who contracted the disease through sexual encounters with other gay men. The Guardian reported that as of late July 2022, this demographic makes up 98 percent of all monkeypox cases. One man reported getting the illness after engaging in an orgy with 20 men.