Bay Area health officials are struggling to meet the high demand for the monkeypox vaccine.
In San Francisco, one of the cities hit hard by the virus, the department of public health announced a vaccine clinic at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital will be closed Wednesday due to a lack of vaccine. The San Francisco Department of Public Health said it requested 35,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine, but as of Tuesday has only received 7,800.
In addition, SFDPH said it has not been told by the federal government when doses will be shipped.
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"We're in a really bad position," State Sen. Scott Wiener said.
Wiener and Assemblymember Matt Haney recently released a joint statement calling out the federal government in response to the vaccine shortage.
The updates in San Francisco offer little hope the problem will end soon.
For anyone searching for the monkeypox vaccine, health experts said be patient and check with local public health departments -- the supply varies from county to county, city to city. In Berkeley, for example, the city is providing hundreds of vaccines through Steamworks-Baths on 4th Street, which distributes doses at noon on Wednesdays.
The United States on Tuesday reported at least 600 more cases of monkeypox, with a total now hovering around 3,500 cases. The virus has largely impacted gay and bisexual males, but experts said there is nothing to prevent it from spreading to other communities. In Africa, where monkeypox originated, it already has.
