D.C. is opening walkup monkeypox vaccine clinics on Fridays beginning this week.
Vaccinations will be available Fridays from noon to 8 p.m. or while supplies last at three locations:
- 3640 Martin Luther King Jr. Ave. SE – Ward 8
- 7530 Georgia Ave. NW – Ward 4
- 1900 I Street NW – Ward 2
DC Health wants to offer access to vaccines to people unable to preregister online or those uncomfortable giving their eligibility information online, though all vaccinations remain confidential.
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The vaccines will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Each clinic will have 300 vaccines available each Friday, DC Health said.
Those eligible for the vaccine must show proof of D.C. residency (ID card with a DC address, utility bill or other mail with name and a D.C. address, or a current D.C. lease or mortgage with their name), be 18 or older, and:
- Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men and have had multiple or any anonymous sex partners in the past 14 days
- Transgender women or nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with men
- Sex workers
- Staff at establishments where sexual activity occurs, like bathhouses, saunas and sex clubs.
Preregistration for vaccination appointments continues at preventmonkeypox.dc.gov. All D.C. residents can preregister and if not currently eligible, they will be contacted if eligibility is expanded to include them.
Those who already have preregistration appointments should keep those appointments instead of going to the walkup clinics. Those unable to keep their appointments should email vaccinatedc@dc.gov to cancel.
Studies show one dose of the vaccine can offer protection for a minimum of six months, DC Health said. Currently, second doses are available to immunocompromised patients.
As of Tuesday, DC Health had given more than 10,500 vaccines and more than 1,300 more appointments scheduled. Of more than 23,000 residents who preregistered, 16,589 are eligible.
D.C. has 248 cases of monkeypox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than 700 close contacts, according to DC Health.
Monkeypox can be spread by direct contact with rashes, scabs or body fluids, including sex, kissing and hugging, DC Health said. It can be spread during prolonged face-to-face contact or by touching fabrics used by infected people.
Symptoms are flu-like: fever, headache, muscle aches and swollen lymph nodes, then a rash and lesions. Most patients do not need to be hospitalized, but monkeypox can be dangerous, DC Health said.
