County of Santa Clara Expands Monkeypox (MPX) Vaccine Eligibility in Coordination with Other Bay Area Counties

Shots for Additional Groups of Eligible People Start Today

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF. – The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department is now offering the monkeypox (MPX) vaccine to additional groups of people, continuing to prioritize vaccinating members of communities experiencing the highest burden of disease. This comes as the County and jurisdictions across the Bay Area have aligned on MPX vaccine eligibility to ensure coordinated regional response to the current outbreak.

In Santa Clara County, eligibility for the MPX vaccine is expanding to all men or trans people who have sex with men or trans people, including gay or bisexual men. This eliminates the previous requirement for some groups of having more than one sexual partner in the last 14 days. Though the groups below are eligible for MPX vaccination, not everyone in these communities may be at risk. Many people testing positive for MPX have recently had new or multiple sex partners, so vaccination for eligible individuals with new sex partners is especially encouraged.

Eligible for MPX vaccine appointment:

• Men or trans people who have sex with men or trans people, including gay or bisexual men and gender diverse people.
• Sex workers and people who have survival sex or exchange sex, of any sexual orientation or gender identity.
• Persons who have had close contact with someone with suspected or confirmed MPX.
• Persons who had close contact with others at a venue or event or within a social group where a suspected or confirmed MPX case was identified. This includes persons who received notice from a venue or event of a potential exposure.

Individuals meeting expanded eligibility criteria may schedule an appointment now for MPX vaccination starting Thursday, September 8 at County-operated vaccination sites such as the Fairgrounds in San Jose. Several large healthcare systems have also received vaccine in order to vaccinate their own patients meeting these criteria.

“Unfortunately, we continue to see MPX disproportionately impacting gay, bisexual, and transgender communities in Santa Clara County, as is the case elsewhere in the US. Distributing MPX vaccine equitably means meeting the needs of individuals at highest risk for contracting the disease,” said Dr. Sarah Rudman, Deputy Health Officer for the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department. “The Bay Area region is working together to protect the health of these individuals. Today, we take yet another step towards the goal of getting a MPX vaccine to everyone who might need one.”

“If you are at risk of getting MPX, I urge you to learn about the symptoms, take steps to protect your health, and schedule an appointment for vaccination today,” added Dr. Rudman.

The Jynneos MPX vaccine is recommended as a two-dose regimen with the second dose able to be scheduled at least 28 days after the first. For individuals meeting eligibility criteria, appointments for first and second doses can be scheduled at vax.sccgov.org.

These changes in eligibility and second dose scheduling are possible as the vaccine supply better matches the demand from those at highest risk of contracting MPX. In August, Santa Clara County, along with healthcare providers across the country, began administering the Jynneos vaccine using an authorized technique that stretched vaccine supply allowing for thousands of additional vaccine appointments to open for eligible people. To date, more than 7,500 total first or second doses of the MPX vaccine have been administered by sites operated by the County and other large healthcare systems in Santa Clara County.

For additional information about vaccination, prevention, testing, and treatment of MPX in several languages, visit the Public Health Department website at sccphd.org/mpx.
More information about MPX can be found here:
County of Santa Clara Public Health Department
California Department of Public Health
CDC 
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About the County of Santa Clara Public Health Department
The County of Santa Clara Public Health Department focuses on protecting and improving the health of communities through education, promotion of healthy lifestyles, disease and injury prevention, and the promotion of sound health policy.
To learn more about how the Public Health Department serves the people who live, work, study and play in Santa Clara County, please visit our website: www.sccphd.org.