D.C. is getting ready to open up its third monkeypox vaccination clinic — this time in Ward 8.
The city will start distributing doses at the new location starting Monday and scheduling appointments at the clinic Thursday.
D.C.’s health department said it is prioritizing first doses of the vaccine and encouraged those eligible to pre-register online so that an appointment can be scheduled.
In addition to the new clinic in Ward 8, the DC Department of Health operates clinics in Wards 2 and 4. However, vaccine doses have been hard to come by. Since D.C. has more infections per capita than anywhere else in the country, it’s currently limiting monkeypox vaccinations to certain eligible persons.
The city said to be eligible for the monkeypox vaccine in D.C., a person must be a District resident, 18 years of age or older, and:
- Gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men and have had multiple (more than one) or any anonymous sexual partners in the last 14 days; or
- Transgender women or nonbinary persons assigned male at birth who have sex with men; or
- Sex workers (of any sexual orientation/gender); or
- Staff (of any sexual orientation/gender) at establishments where sexual activity occurs (e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs).
Residents who are eligible to book an appointment can register at any of the clinics most convenient for them.
Anyone who already has a first dose and is scheduled to receive a second dose in the future will see those appointments temporarily postponed.
