Galveston County Health District (GCHD) on Aug. 22 will begin offering the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine to Galveston County residents who are at the highest risk for disease.

Earlier this month, the health district received a shipment of a little more than 1,000 doses of the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), which allows the health district to vaccinate as many as 500 people. JYNNEOS is a two-dose vaccine series administered four weeks apart.

Groups prioritized for monkeypox vaccination by invitation only are:

• People confirmed to have had high-risk contact with someone with monkeypox

Other vaccination priority groups are people age 18 and older who:

• Are men who have sex with men, and have had multiple or anonymous sex partners within the previous 21 days; or
• Have a sex partner who is showing symptoms of monkeypox, such as a rash or sores; or
• Have had a diagnosis of HIV, Chlamydia or early Syphilis within the previous 12 months; or
• Are currently taking HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)

Due to the current limited national vaccine supply, monkeypox vaccine is available to Galveston County residents only. Proof of residency will be required.

?This latest shipment of JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine, and the ability to now change to intradermal vaccination, allows us to protect more people in our community who are at the highest risk for disease,? said Dr. Philip Keiser, GCHD CEO and Galveston County local health authority.

Changing to intradermal vaccination ? with the injection administered just under the skin ? follows clinical guidance from the CDC and DSHS and increases the number of vaccines the health district can give.

Those interested in signing up to receive the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine should complete the health district?s pre-screen form. Staff will reach out to those who meet the criteria to schedule an appointment.

Please do not attend the vaccination clinic if you have monkeypox symptoms or are currently isolated for monkeypox. Speak to your healthcare provider about getting tested if you think you have monkeypox. Residents who have questions about testing, vaccinations, guidance and resources may call the health district at 409.938.7221, option 1.

The health district announced its first monkeypox case on July 20 and now reports a total of five cases ? one confirmed by the CDC and four probable, pending confirmation. One case is an out-of-state resident and the other four are Galveston County residents.

Monkeypox is a rare, viral infection caused by the monkeypox virus. The risk level to the general public remains low.

Symptoms include fever, headache, muscle aches and backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills, exhaustion and a rash that may look like pimples or blisters that appear on the face, inside the mouth and on other parts of the body like hands, feet and chest. Some people may develop a rash first, followed by other symptoms. Others may only experience a rash.

The virus can spread from person-to-person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs or body fluids. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged, face-to-face contact, or during intimate physical contact, such as kissing, cuddling or sex.

For more information, visit the CDC.