Monkeypox Vaccine Clinic Offered For Essex County Residents At Livingston Mall Monday

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A one-day monkeypox vaccine clinic for Essex County residents has been scheduled at the Livingston Mall this Monday.

The JYNNEOS vaccine requires two doses. You will get your appointment for the second vaccine when you have the first.

The clinic will run from 2-7 p.m. Monday at the Sears Building, 112 Eisenhower Parkway, Livingston.

Appointments are available at EssexCountyNj.org.

Appointments are required. People should show up 15 minutes before their appointment.

While public health experts say the risk of monkeypox is not limited to gay or bisexual men, some of the cases reported so far have been clustered around men who have sex with men.

Find out more about Monday's clinic here.

Still Spreading Slowly

For perspective, there have been 479 cases confirmed in New Jersey as of Friday, and no deaths.

In 2020, COVID spread quickly and killed 460 New Jersey residents in just one day in late April.

Health experts have said that monkeypox is rarely fatal. No deaths have been announced in the state since the first case was reported publicly in Jersey City on June 20.

However, the virus can cause swollen lymph nodes and a rash that often begins on the face and spreads to other parts of the body. Health officials are hoping to keep symptoms mild and contain the virus.

Monkeypox is usually spread by "close contact" with an infected person.

The state announced late last month that it has expanded vaccine eligibility to include:

• Individuals that attended an event where known monkeypox exposure occurred
• Individuals that identify as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men, and/or transgender, gender non-conforming, or non-binary and who have a history of multiple or anonymous sex partners within the past 14 days.

Find out more about the vaccine and eligibility in New Jersey here.

Other North Jersey vaccine centers include, by appointment:

• Hyacinth AIDS Foundation/Project Living Out Loud! (Jersey City): 201-706-3480
• North Jersey Community Research Initiative (Newark): 973-483-3444, ext. 200
• Bergen New Bridge Medical Center: Annex 2 (white tent structure), 230 East Ridgewood Ave, Paramus Phone: 800-730-2762 Website: www.newbridgehealth.org

States With The Most Cases

See which states have the most cases with this CDC graphic.

Get the current case count and see information about the virus in New Jersey by clicking here.

Find out about the vaccine and eligibility in New Jersey here.

LGBTQ+ advocates have questioned the messaging surrounding monkeypox, particularly involving the gay community, where the virus showed up early and created a new wave of stigma for a population that has been scapegoated during similar public health scares in the past.