Long Beach will now offer monkeypox vaccinations without an appointment for those who meet eligibility requirements, city health officials announced Wednesday.
The vaccination site located in Parking Lot 1 of the Long Beach Community College’s Pacific Coast Campus will now be open to individuals with and without appointments Tuesday through Fridays, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., the Long Beach Health Department announced.
Vaccinations at this site will be given out to individuals without appointments on a first-come, first-served basis while supply lasts, according to the health department. In addition, those without appointments will have to self-attest that they meet the city’s eligibility requirements, health officials said.
“Making the monkeypox vaccine readily accessible to those at high risk continues to be our top priority,” Mayor Robert Garcia said in a statement. “Opening up our clinics to allow non-appointments will ensure that we vaccinate and protect people quickly, efficiently and equitably.”
Anyone can get monkeypox, which is spread from person to person through direct contact with body fluids or lesions, or contaminated materials such as clothing or linens, and through respiratory droplets through prolonged face-to-face contact, according to health officials.
Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but activities such as hugging, kissing, cuddling, sexual contact and even sharing bedding, towels or clothing with someone infected with monkeypox can increase a person’s risk of exposure, according to the health department.
As of Wednesday, there are 82 confirmed and probable cases of monkeypox in Long Beach, according to health officials. At least two have required hospitalization, while the others are either isolating and recovering at home or have recovered, according to the city health department.
Statewide, there have been 3,624 confirmed and probable cases, the California Department of Public Health announced Wednesday. There have been 110 hospitalizations in California due to monkeypox and no reported deaths, according to state health officials.
Health officials announced the city’s first monkeypox case on July 19, and the first case in an individual under the age of 18 on Aug. 2.
To date, the city’s health department has administered 4,030 doses of monkeypox vaccine, according to health officials.
Because the JYNNEOS vaccine used in monkeypox cases is in short supply nationwide, health officials imposed eligibility requirements for those wishing to get vaccinated.
Residents who still wish to schedule a monkeypox vaccination appointment should use the state’s MyTurn app.
The Long Beach Health Department encourages all residents to visit longbeach.gov/monkeypox for up-to-date facts and information.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include statewide monkeypox infection data.
Explainer: Monkeypox has arrived in Long Beach. Who’s at risk and who can get vaccinated?