NYC Community-Based Organizations Calling for a More Equitable Distribution of Monkeypox Vaccine

Community-based organizations are extremely concerned about the JYNNEOS™ (Monkeypox vaccine) inequitable distribution against the monkeypox outbreak. The epicenter of this virus outbreak is in New York City, with its residents who identify as gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men. If our public health agencies at all levels of government fail to act quickly and effectively, we fear that this virus will continue to spread throughout the city and become endemic among not only men who have sex with men, but transgender women and non-binary people as well. We know from decades of collective experience in addressing epidemics/pandemics that viruses can spread even further among other populations.

According to the best available data:

• As of July 8, of the 790 confirmed infections of monkeypox in the U.S., 160 (20.3%) are in NYC, this highest proportion of any state/city;
• Despite bearing a disproportionate burden (20.3%) of the known monkeypox infections in the nation, NYC was allocated less than 11% of the 56,000 doses of JYNNEOS™ already made available nationwide; and, we have been notified that NYC will be receiving only 14,600 (10.1%) of the 144,000 vaccine doses that will be distributed the week of July 10.

In partnership with Apicha Community Health Center, GMHC, Harlem United, Latino Commission on AIDS, and Translatinx Network, we wrote a letter to key federal leaders calling for a more equitable distribution of JYNNEOS™ vaccine.

Community-based organizations and other local leadership are essential to fighting the monkeypox outbreak and that access to vaccines, along with prevention messaging, must be free of stigma and discrimination.