'Just Keep Looking': At-Risk NYers Seek Hard-To-Find Monkeypox Vaccine

NEW YORK CITY — This is how New Yorkers described the city's rollout of the monkeypox vaccine: "Embarrassment." "Unacceptable." "A disaster." "Total failure."

New Yorkers at greater risk of monkeypox — for now, those who are gay, bisexual or are men who have sex with other men — vented those frustrations online Wednesday after an "unfortunate glitch" with Department of Health and Mental Hygiene's website prematurely opened up vaccine appointments for 6,000 long-awaited doses.

Then bookings were held up as "technical difficulties" kept at-risk New Yorkers continually refreshing the appointment page.

"(This) is an abject failure of public health and a betrayal of public trust," tweeted @joshstrap13. "The apparent breakdown of planning and lack of clear communication reeks of homophobia and appalling incompetence. Please DO BETTER!"

@NYCMayor @KathyHochul @NYCHealthCommr, this is an abject failure of public health and a betrayal of public trust. The apparent breakdown of planning and lack of clear communication reeks of homophobia and appalling incompetence. Please DO BETTER!
— joshstrap (@joshstrap13) July 6, 2022

Health officials promised to honor appointments made amid the glitch, and said they were poised to post an update sometime Wednesday afternoon.

More information about monkeypox vaccinations, when they're available, can be found here.

But the issue seemed to many at-risk New Yorkers like the latest in a spate of insults and shortfalls.

First, the city two weeks ago only received an allotment of 1,000 monkeypox vaccines from the federal government.

Appointments for the doses booked up within the first day — so fast that DamagedBttm, a male adult performer, said he didn't even have a chance to try to get a dose.

DamagedBttm, who proudly says that OnlyFans has been his only job for three years, said he wants the monkeypox vaccine for both personal and professional safety. He's frustrated with the vaccine rollout's speed and scope, which he wonders is because the virus is primarily — again, for now — spreading among gay and bisexual men.

“Why did we wait so long?” he said.

The allotment of monkeypox vaccine is largely out of city officials' hands — and its first 1,000 doses didn't last long.

Health officials confirmed to Patch that the city ran out of monkeypox vaccine altogether by June 27.

In the week since, monkeypox cases in the city doubled to 111, according to health department data.

For now, DamagedBttm is in the same boat as other at-risk New Yorkers: frantic, scared, concerned about even stray skin-to-skin contact such as during Pride celebrations.

“My plan is just obviously just keep looking for the vaccine,” DamagedBttm said.

Monkeypox has been spreading among social networks of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, so this community is currently at greater risk of exposure. But officials say anyone can contract monkeypox, which is most often spread through direct contact with a rash or sores of someone who has the virus

Sex and other intimate activities can also spread the virus, health officials said.

Even mild monkeypox illness can yield itchy and painful sores, experts warn.

More information about monkeypox can be found here.