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Colorado to delay second doses of monkeypox vaccine because of limited supply

Shots limited to higher-risk gay and bisexual men


People who received one shot of the monkeypox vaccine in Colorado may have to wait longer for the second dose as the state tries to stretch its supplies.

The Jynneos vaccine was approved for monkeypox as a two-dose series, with the shots given about 28 days apart. Clinical trials suggested one dose offers some protection.

Dr. Eric France, chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, said he expects the state will receive more doses from the federal government at some point, and will use those to give second shots. The state health department will notify people who received one shot when their second dose is available.

“Given the current outbreak, our goal at this time is to reduce the spread of monkeypox among persons at risk, and to that end, we will use all our doses on hand to vaccinate as many eligible people as we are able,” he said in a news release.

So far, the state has recorded 37 monkeypox cases, with 29 found in July. The true number of infected people is likely higher because of a lack of testing.

For now, the state is offering vaccines to gay and bisexual men who had multiple partners or an anonymous partner in the last two weeks. As of Thursday, about 1,100 people have received a shot.

The vaccine can also be given after someone has been exposed to monkeypox. People who receive it within four days of exposure are less likely to develop an infection, and those who are vaccinated later still tend to have less-severe symptoms. If you think you were exposed, call a health care provider.

In the current outbreak, the monkeypox virus primarily has spread through sexual contact between men, though it can be transmitted via items that touched an infected person’s lesions. It typically causes flu-like symptoms and a rash, which can resemble pimples or common sexually transmitted infections.

No Americans have died in the current outbreak, though survivors have described the lesions as very painful.

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