Monkeypox Vaccines Available At Bergen New Bridge By Appointment Only

PARAMUS, NJ — Bergen New Bridge Medical Center is offering monkeypox vaccinations to at-risk residents by appointment only, starting Friday, the Paramus hospital said in a news release.

Currently, the CDCrecommends the monkeypox vaccine for individuals verified exposed within four days from the date of exposure, and the NJ Department of Health also includes the following individuals for possible vaccination:

• For residents without a confirmed exposure who believe they may have been exposed or are at high risk for having been exposed to monkeypox in the past 14 days
• Individuals that attended an event where confirmed monkeypox exposure occurred
• Individuals who identify as gay, bisexual, or men who have sex with men (MSM), or transgender, gender non-conforming, or non-binary individuals with a history of multiple or anonymous sex partners within the past 14 days.

Bergen New Bridge will be the only site in the county to offer the monkeypox vaccines, which will be available at Annex 2 (white tent structure) at 230 East Ridgewood Avenue.

Monkeypox, the hospital's Chief Communications and Marketing Officer Donnalee Corrieri said, may lead to symptoms that are similar to, yet milder than, those of smallpox. Symptoms include: fever, headaches, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and rash.

Set up an appointment at www.newbridgehealth.org.

“Our administration continues to take monkeypox seriously and is doing everything we can to protect New Jersey residents from this virus,” Governor Phil Murphy in a news release. “Opening (the Bergen County location) will help improve access to the vaccine for eligible individuals who are at greatest risk of exposure at this time. We will continue to advocate for an equitable allocation of vaccine doses from the federal government so that we can safeguard the health of our community members during this outbreak.”