Allegheny County Health Department expands monkeypox vaccine eligibility

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — The Allegheny County Health Department announced expanded eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine, to include more residents at a higher risk of contracting the virus.

Starting Sept. 2, the Health Department, with approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, will be implementing initial pre-exposure prophylaxis eligibility for those interested in getting the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine.

The following groups are now eligible to receive the vaccine:

• Men who have sex with men, AND who also have multiple (2+) or anonymous sex partners
• Women who have sex with men who have sex with men, AND who also have multiple (2+) or anonymous sex partners
• Transgender, gender-nonconforming, and gender-nonbinary individuals who have multiple (2+) or anonymous sex partners

Those previously, and still, eligible to receive the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine included individuals who had experienced a high-risk exposure to someone who was diagnosed with monkeypox in the previous 14 days or individuals who experienced a high likelihood of exposure in the previous 14 days. Eligible individuals also included sex workers.

If eligible individuals want to receive the JYNNEOS vaccine, they can make an appointment with the Immunization Clinic by calling 412-578-8062. Walk-ins are also welcome. The clinic is located at 425 First Avenue, Fourth Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15219.

• Community health care providers also offering the vaccine include:
• Allies for Health + Wellbeing, 5913 Penn Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15206
• Metro Community Health Center, 1789 S Braddock Ave #410, Pittsburgh, PA 15218
• Central Outreach Wellness Center, 127 Anderson Street, Suite 101, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 (only vaccinating current patients
• AHN Positive Health Clinic, 1307 Federal Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 (only vaccinating current patients)
• UPMC Center of Care for Infectious Diseases, 3601 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213 (only vaccinating current patients)

Residents who do not have a primary care provider can get tested at the county’s Public Health Clinic located at 1908 Wylie Avenue, Pittsburgh. No appointment is necessary. Clinic hours are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Wednesday noon to 7:30 p.m. To learn more about the Public Health Clinic, visit its webpage.

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Mpox: What you need to know The WHO changed the name from monkeypox to mpox in Nov. 2022. (NCD)

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