First health center in Bristol County to administer monkeypox vaccine to those at high-risk

NEW BEDFORD, Mass. (WLNE) — A New Bedford health center will begin to administer the monkeypox vaccine Monday for people at high-risk.

Monkeypox vaccines expanded across Massachusetts over the last week and are now available at 11 health care providers in the state.

Seven Hills Behavioral Health Center received over 100 doses of the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine last week. They are one of 11 centers in Massachusetts to administer those doses and the first in Bristol County.

“We are excited, we want to help be part of the solution,” Seven Hills Behavioral Health Center’s director Connie Rocha-Mimoso said last week.

Officials at Seven Hills told ABC6 appointments for high-risk individuals have started to fill up right after they opened a week ago. Those eligible to get the vaccine must make an appointment because of the limited supply. The health center told ABC 6 that those appointments are filling up fast.

Also last week, the chief of the World Health Organization declared monkeypox a global emergency. And as of last Thursday, cases in Massachusetts reached 79 since May 18. Across the US, there are nearly 3,000 cases, and worldwide, cases have surpassed 16,000.

The vaccine used to help protect people against monkeypox is the same used to protect against smallpox, according to health officials. The vaccine is two doses, administered 28 days apart. Appointments are available Monday-Friday between 9 am and 5 pm.

Rocha-Mimoso said the health center anticipates getting more doses from the Centers for Disease Control in the next few weeks.