Hochul: A lot more monkeypox vaccine doses expected

“A major increase” in the supply of the scarce vaccine for monkeypox is expected shortly in New York State, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Monday, as appointments completely fill up almost as soon as they are offered and the case count jumped 33% over the weekend.

At an unrelated event in Manorville on Monday, Hochul wasn’t specific but said she anticipated announcing details Wednesday or Thursday, with the additional shots “coming in the next week or so.”

There are 651 confirmed cases of monkeypox statewide as of Monday, up from 490 on Friday. New York City residents make up nearly 95% of cases. Nassau County residents are three of the cases. Five are from Suffolk County, one more than Friday.

About 1,345 doses have been administered on Long Island, about 55% of which at two clinics on Fire Island, in the gay vacation communities of Cherry Grove and the Pines.

Although anyone can get monkeypox, nearly every case in the current outbreak globally has been in men who have sex with men.

The state Health Department has specifically targeted Fire Island, citing concern over its population — which Hochul reiterated Monday.

“We have more cases here in New York than elsewhere. That’s not unexpected. We have vulnerable communities — Fire Island, for example, making sure we’re getting the doses necessary to cover that area,” Hochul said.

Thousands more doses are headed to Long Island. States get shipments of the vaccine from the federal government; Hochul said she has argued to the White House that New York ought to be sent more due to the disproportionately higher case count here.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention director, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, said Friday that demand outstrips supply. The United States has ordered 7 million doses total, but most won’t arrive for months.

Jason Molinet, a spokesman for Northwell Health, which is handling much of the actual shots in arms on the Island on behalf of the county governments, said that 340 were given in Nassau by invitation only last week — he refused to disclose the specific criteria — and an additional 200 on Monday, also in New Hyde Park, by appointment scheduled online, first-come first-served. The Fire Island clinics gave 742 shots Thursday through Sunday, he said. Nassau spokesman Christopher Boyle said that 63 shots have been administered by Nassau University Medical Center, the county’s other vaccinator. Suffolk is expanding vaccination to the mainland.

The second and final dose is four weeks after the first.

More appointments would open up online — at northwellvaccine.force.com/s/?id=a1T4x000007U02PEAS — once the vials come in, Molinet said.

“It’s gonna be a bit of a hunt for people to kind of look at the site, to refresh the site, to find when appointments are available,” he said. 

By Matthew Chayes

matthew.chayes@newsday.comchayesmatthew

Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.