Suffolk County will receive another 1,750 doses of the monkeypox vaccine. Health officials announced the new doses after appointments for the county’s first batch of 750 filled up in just a few hours on Monday.
Doses are being administered at clinics on Fire Island later this week at pop-up clinics in Cherry Grove and Fire Island Pines. Appointments are required.
Eligible Suffolk County residents can call 311 and provide their contact information to receive alerts when more appointments become available.
As of now, there are four confirmed cases in Suffolk County and one confirmed case in Nassau County.
Monkeypox is a rare virus that spreads through close physical contact, according to the CDC. The vaccine is in short supply nationwide.
Anyone can spread the disease, but most of the current cases are among gay and bisexual men. A multi-state outbreak in 2003 impacted people who came in contact with infected rodents.
