Galveston offers monkeypox vaccine to all during Pride weekend

Galveston resident Serena Davidson turned out to Galveston Pride on Saturday with her daughter to receive the monkeypox vaccine.

While shes not in a high-risk category, she wanted to get protection as soon as possible because she has mild eczema and worries about exposure to the virus. Her 17-year-old daughter also faced her fear of needles to get her first dose.

Monkeypox seems very scary and if theres something out there that can help you not get it why wouldnt you take it? Davidson said.

The two were among vaccine recipients of the 2,000 doses the Galveston County Health District had to give to anyone over the age of 18 this weekend.

We wanted to make sure that we had enough to have it available for anyone who wants one, said Philip Keiser, CEO of GCHD and associate dean for public health practice at UTMB.

In advance of Galveston Pride, GCHD requested additional vaccine doses from the Texas Department of State Health Services and nearby local health authorities. Fort Bend and Harris counties contributed doses.

The vaccine is available to anyone 18 or older, including non-Galveston County residents, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or pre-existing conditions. Non-residents may return to GCHD for their second dose or contact their local health authority.

Children under 18 may get the vaccine with consent of a parent or guardian.

Initially GCHD had only a few hundred doses, so only people in high-risk groups could get the vaccine.

The majority of reported cases, 94 percent, are in men, nonbinary people and transgender people who have sex with men, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. People with HIV made up 41 percent of cases. Anyone can contract monkeypox through direct contact with an infected rash or body fluids.

For this event, Keiser wanted to cast a wide net.

Ashley Sciba, director of community health services for GCHD, had become accustomed to mass vaccination events for COVID-19, but this was her first monkeypox vaccination event.

Sciba said most people are surprised by the vaccines placement - under the skin of the forearm. As with COVID-19, the nurses have addressed vaccine hesitancy by explaining the side effects and research behind the vaccination.

GCHD made their own monkeypox vaccination cards based on the CDCs COVID-19 cards. Each person completes a consent form and is given an information packet before getting their dose.

People began lining up in the parking lot at 706 Holiday Drive near the Galveston seawall at 9:30 a.m Saturday. By noon, people were able to get a vaccine without waiting in line.

At Friday nights event at Roberts Lafitte, the oldest running gay bar in Galveston, a team of two nurses vaccinated about 60 people in two hours.

Keiser noted that although hundreds of people came through the bar, only a small portion wanted the vaccine.

Theres a lot of vaccine hesitancy, Keiser said. So many people said they wanted the vaccine, and now were saying here it is, but people dont want it.

Keiser said GCHD will share what they learn from this weekends events with DSHS to improve future outreach efforts.

The next vaccination event will be from 12 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Roberts Lafitte in Galveston. Visit gchd.org/monkeypox for more information.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Texas has had 1,664 confirmed cases of monkeypox, or about 6 cases per 100,000 people.

Galveston County Health District reported four probable cases and one confirmed case of monkeypox in the county.

The virus continues to spread across the Houston region, with new cases reported in schools. Last week, the IDEA Public Schools Hardy campus and Ridge Point High School in Fort Bend ISD both reported a case of monkeypox.

The Harris County Jail reported an inmate tested positive for monkeypox last week.

On Tuesday, the first monkeypox-related death in the United States was recorded in Harris County. The invdividual was severely immunocompromised, according to a statement from DSHS. Deaths associated with monkeypox are rare, with only 15 deaths worldwide, according to the CDC.

Monkeypox is spread through direct contact with an infected animal or person or materials contaminated with the virus. The primary transmission route is through contact with infected lesions, scabs or body fluids. A person with monkeypox is infectious until their rash has fully healed.

The vaccine used to prevent monkeypox is called JYNNEOS and is a variation of the smallpox vaccine. It contains a weakened virus that cannot cause monkeypox or smallpox.

The JYNNEOS vaccine is a two-dose regime, with at least four weeks between doses.

Immunity begins days after the first dose, with maximum immunity developing two weeks after the second dose.

The most common side effects of the vaccine are muscle pain, headache, fatigue, nausea, chills and fever, along with redness and swelling at the injection site.

To schedule a monkeypox vaccination appointment, contact your local health department.

stephanie.lamm@chron.com

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Galveston offers monkeypox vaccine to all during Pride weekend