CINCINNATI — The monkeypox vaccine soon will be available to high-risk patients in Hamilton County.
What You Need To Know
- Cincinnati and Hamilton County received initial shipments of the monkeypox vaccine
- Elected leaders and health officials will outline the distribution plan Tuesday morning
- The limited supply of the vaccine received locally will go to "high-risk" groups, per the city
- The Biden administration declared monkeypox a national emergency
The city of Cincinnati announced Monday evening the Cincinnati Health Department and Hamilton County Public Health had received their first shipments of the vaccine.
A release from the city described the supply as “limited” and noted the plan is to focus on vaccinating people in “high-risk groups.”
Elected leaders and health officials will provide additional details about the rollout Tuesday at 9:45 a.m. during a press conference at Cincinnati City Hall.
The Biden administration declared monkeypox a national health emergency last week.
Cases in Ohio are still low compared to other parts of the country. As of Monday, 45 of the 7,510 confirmed cases are in Ohio, per the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The Cincinnati Health Department reported the first two local cases of monkeypox in late July. Since then, the city and Hamilton County have worked on a targeted awareness campaign aimed at limiting the spread of monkeypox.
Skin-to-skin contact is the most common way to spread monkeypox, but it can also be spread by touching fabrics and objects used by a person with monkeypox, according to the CDC.
The disease causes a rash and can induce flu-like symptoms.
A person is contagious from the time they develop symptoms until their rash has completely healed, the CDC lists on its website. That process can take several weeks.
More information is available on the Hamilton County Public Health and the Cincinnati Health Department websites.