A nurse holds a syringe with monkeypox vaccine. Courtesy County News Center
San Diego County Monday announced it will hold two monkeypox vaccination events this week while also having 250 scheduled vaccination appointments at county clinics.
In addition, according to the county’s Health and Human Services Agency, more than 1,000 appointments were announced through the county text service Monday morning — and were filled an hour later.
The appointments were made through the state’s MyTurn vaccination site at myturn.ca.gov.
“As vaccine becomes available, the county will continue its efforts to vaccinate as many of those eligible as possible given the shortage of supply,” said Dr. Wilma Wooten, county public health officer. “We will continue to request additional doses from the state. We continue to advise those at high risk to be cautious about their partners and those who have any signs of monkeypox to immediately get checked out by a physician.”
The two South County events are Wednesday and Thursday between 1 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. each day at Chula Vista Bayfront Park, 980 Marina Way, adjacent to and just north of the boat launch. Around 400 doses will be provided each day.
Vaccinations will be given by intradermal — or “within the skin” — injection, allowing up to five doses from a single vial, which initially equaled a single dose. Some individuals, including those under 18 years old or who are immunocompromised, will still require a full-vial dose.
The California Department of Public Health recommends intradermal injection, except for people who have a history of developing keloid scars and people under the age of 18, both of whom would still require subcutaneous injection. People who are immunocompromised can receive intradermal injection.
Appointments are expected to be released next week for a vaccination event in North County.
California allocates vaccines to counties based on the number of monkeypox cases in the county in the past two weeks, as well as the number of early syphilis cases in men reported in a region.
San Diego County has recorded 249 cases of monkeypox, ranging in age from 20 to 64. Five people have been hospitalized with the illness.
A text message alert system is available for those seeking the latest information about monkeypox in the region. To sign up to receive the messages, text COSD MONKEYPOX to 468-311.
For more information on monkeypox, how to prevent it, and who should get vaccinated, visit the county’s website, www.sandiegocounty.gov, or call 2-1-1.
City News Service contributed to this article.