Monkeypox vaccine supply fails to meet San Francisco demand

San Francisco’s supply of monkeypox vaccine is quickly diminishing. Public health officials announced that Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital administered its last 50 doses Wednesday morning.

The Department of Public Health said Wednesday that the hospital’s clinic will remain closed until more supply becomes available. According to White House communications, the federal government provided a limited number of doses per state of two vaccines approved for use by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Allocations were determined by area case rates and doses were taken from the federal stockpile in the first distribution phase. 

City leaders said during a Tuesday press conference that they are pleading with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for more vaccines.

DPH Director of Public Health Dr. Grant Colfax said:

“We are literally begging our federal partners to provide more vaccines so we can get it into the arms of people who need it most.“

In a statement Wednesday, local health officials said the department last week received 2,308 doses of vaccine and distributed them to more than 10 locations: DPH sites, community clinics and Kaiser Permanente. The department has now received a total of 2,888 vaccine doses, Colfax said, including last week’s shipment.

While monkeypox is not as transmissible or deadly as Covid-19, Colfax said it is still serious and symptoms can be very uncomfortable. The virus is passed by direct contact with an infectious person exhibiting rash or scabs, and through kissing or sex.

Additionally, linens or clothing that come in contact with an infectious rash or body fluids can spread the virus to others, according to the CDC.

While anyone can contract monkeypox, the LGBTQ community has been substantially impacted.

As of Wednesday, DPH had identified 68 probable and confirmed monkeypox cases.

Supervisor Rafael Mandelman introduced a resolution at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisors meeting that urges federal officials to quickly purchase additional vaccine doses and accelerate the distribution process.

Mandelman said the spread of monkeypox should have been preventable as it is not a new virus and vaccines already exist, adding:

“Unlike Covid-19, we did not have to wait for a new vaccine to be developed and unlike Covd-19, Monkeypox does not seem to spread effectively through respiratory droplets. Yet here we are, with cases rising vaccines, sparse and urgent action by our federal public health institutions. Absent local officials, health care providers and community activists, like us, are left to beg for an adequate response.”

Tyler TerMeer, CEO for the San Francisco AIDS Foundation, said the organization needs more than 6,000 doses to vaccinate high-risk individuals through its Magnet clinic in the Castro District.

TerMeer said calls are pouring in from concerned people, adding:

“Our Monkeypox hotline receives one to two phone calls per minute from a community who are scared, who have questions who believe they may have been exposed and are desperately seeking access to vaccines.”

Colfax said the department is asking for 35,000 doses of vaccines from the state as a starting point:

“This would put us towards on the path to our larger goal of making monkey pox vaccine available to anyone who could benefit from prevention.”

The Alice B. Toklas LGBTQ Democratic Club plans to hold a day of action Monday at 11 a.m. in front of the San Francisco Federal Building to demand more vaccine supply and swift distribution.

The CDC offers information about the two eligible vaccines and particular health conditions that should be considered when determining which is appropriate for individual use.

Jerold Chinn

Jerold serves as a reporter and San Francisco Bureau Chief for SFBay covering transportation and occasionally City Hall and the Mayor's Office in San Francisco. His work on transportation has been recognized by the San Francisco Press Club. Born and raised in San Francisco, he graduated from San Francisco State University with a degree in journalism. Jerold previously wrote for the San Francisco Public Press, a nonprofit, noncommercial news organization. When not reporting, you can find Jerold taking Muni to check out new places to eat in the city.