The monkeypox vaccine is ending in San Francisco at a time when demand is increasing. According to the San Francisco Department of Public Health, only 50 doses are available on Wednesday.
State Senator Scott Wiener announced on Twitter that the San Francisco General Hospital monkeypox vaccine clinic would be closing today due to shortages. He said that the central government is responsible for the shortage of medicines.
“This exhaustion of the current vaccine supply is happening just as San Francisco and other communities are seeing increased infections and risk of monkeypox,” Wiener said. “More vaccine doses will be sent to San Francisco soon, but the amount will still be pretty limited.”
The city’s health department, which is administering the vaccine as soon as possible, received 2,308 doses of the vaccine last week from federal supplies. It is being distributed in 10 locations in the Bay Area.
The Department of Health says they have requested an additional 35,000 doses of the vaccine from the federal government, but are still waiting to hear how much of the vaccine they will get and when it will arrive.
Monkeypox vaccine in short supply, hundreds queue up at SF General for a single dose
There is growing concern about monkeypox in San Francisco. Advocates and community members urged for more action to be taken to stop the virus from spreading.
“We need to be very clear where the responsibility lies for this completely avoidable situation: the federal government,” Wiener said. “The United States has one million doses still sitting in storage in Denmark because the FDA failed to conduct a quick inspection of a new production facility – demonstrating a startling lack of sense of urgency.”
Officials have warned that people looking for the vaccine should be prepared to withdraw it as all 10 vaccine sites are likely to become operational this week. Vaccine demand remains high, with Zuckerberg lining up to receive the vaccine at the block outside San Francisco General Hospital on Monday.
See all: Concern over monkeypox outbreak prompts long lines for vaccines in San Francisco
“We are moving towards a public health disturbance of uncontrolled monkeypox spreading to our community and many other communities,” Wiener said. “Failure to control this outbreak will result in intense – and completely unnecessary – suffering for many people, especially gay and bisexual men.”
As of Wednesday, there are 68 probable and confirmed cases of monkeypox in San Francisco. The first probable case in the city was detected on June 3, 2022.