The monkeypox outbreak in Ohio continues to grow, particularly in Cuyahoga County, which is home to nearly 50% of the cases statewide. To combat the virus, the Cleveland Department of Public Health announced Thursday that it is expanding the number of monkeypox vaccination clinics it offers to the public.
The Department will continue to offer vaccination clinics on Fridays from 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. at the Mean Bull nightclub on the city’s East Side and will also begin offering the vaccine on Wednesdays from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. pm at the J. Glen Smith and McCafferty Health Centers, according to a news release from the health department.
Vaccines are free and no prior registration is required. Flu shots will also be available.
Upcoming vaccination clinics:
- October 21 and 28: Mean Bull Nightclub, 1313 E. 26th St. Cleveland, 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Oct. 26: Glen Smith Health Center, 11100 St. Clair Ave. Cleveland, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
- Oct. 26 – McCafferty Health Center, 4242 Lorain Ave. Cleveland, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
According to the health department, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently expanded the eligibility criteria to receive the vaccine.
It now includes gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex.
with men, transgender or gender-diverse people who have had more than one sexual partner in the past six months, have had sex in a location associated with an increased risk of monkeypox, or have been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection during the same period, according to the press release
Those who are sexual partners of people with those risk factors and commercial sex workers are now also eligible.
Monkeypox is a virus that is spread through skin-to-skin contact with an infected person or contact with contaminated clothing or bedding, according to the statement. Anyone can get and spread monkeypox, but current cases are disproportionately affecting gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. Those with multiple or anonymous sexual partners are also particularly at risk.
