Monkeypox vaccine supply can't keep up with demand as cases rise
TAMPA, Fla. - Monkeypox continues to spread across the country with cases in 45 states, including Florida. The problem is there isn't enough vaccine supply to handle the continued rise in infections, and people in Tampa Bay are frustrated they cannot find the shot.
The Sunshine State now ranks the fourth highest in the country for the number of confirmed Monkeypox cases. Testing for the virus just ramped up, but finding a vaccine is another story.
A Pinellas County man told FOX 13 he was exposed to someone infected with Monkeypox and had to fight to get the vaccine.
"I was told by the Health Department that the only people eligible to receive the vaccine were those that were showing symptoms or what they considered high risk," the man said.
The CDC recommends people who have been exposed to Monkeypox or have a high risk of exposure be vaccinated. However, the current vaccine supply can't keep up with demand.
"The U.S. has a stockpile of them. Those vaccines are available in that stockpile, and they've been actually releasing those slowly," explained Dr. Jill Roberts, associate professor at the USF College of Public Health.
Health and Human Services ordered more doses last week, announcing a total of nearly seven million are expected to arrive by the middle of next year. Yet since May only about 300,000 doses have been shipped out to states, and it is not clear how to find one here.
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"I haven't seen a plan for Florida. I haven't seen pop up sites. I don't have any indication that we've got us a set plan here yet," Roberts said.
Officials said the state health department is working with counties to distribute and allocate the vaccines as they arrive from the Federal government. Experts and local leaders have criticized the response to this disease as being too little too late.
"Ron DeSantis' hand-picked anti-vax Surgeon General failed Florida parents on COVID vaccines for children, and now he’s dropping the ball on Monkeypox," Representative Charlie Crist said in a statement. "Our counties are flying blind with no direction from the state and more people are getting sick as a result."
The current outbreak of Monkeypox is mainly affecting men who have sexual contact with other men. However, anyone who is exposed can be infected. Symptoms include a headache, fever, muscle aches, and a rash with sores that can be contagious.
"I would say anyone who suspects that they should have this, should obviously be in contact with a health care provider to get some guidance about what to do, what they can do for pain relief and things like that, because these are painful rashes," said Roberts.
As of Tuesday, 1,972 cases have been identified nationwide, and that number is expected to continue to rise. In the Bay Area, there are 15 reported cases – nine in Pinellas, three in Hillsborough, two in Polk, and one in Sarasota counties.
FOX 13 News has learned the Florida Department of Health plans to release more details Wednesday, July 20 about the Monkeypox vaccine distribution here in the state.