Biden administration sending Monkeypox vaccines to LGBT+ events

Recent CDC data shows ‘disproportionate reach of the virus among Black and Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men’

The White House has announced that the administration will send extra doses of the Monkeypox vaccine to LGBT+ events across the US.

The White House National Monkeypox Response team announced on Tuesday that they will provide extra vaccines and other support to states and cities hosting events where many LGBT+ people will gather, “specifically gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men”.

The administration said that it would “surge vaccine availability and other prevention resources to communities of color” following recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealing the “disproportionate reach of the virus among Black and Latino gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men”.

The White House announced that they plan on sending extra vaccines and resources to Louisiana, Georgia and California as they prepare for events attracting LGBT+ people.

The administration said they have worked with state and local governments to plan for Southern Decadence in New Orleans, Louisiana, Atlanta Black Pride in Georgia, and Pridefest in Oakland, California.

Southern Decadence is hosted from 1 to 5 September, where the White House said an extra 6,000 doses of the Monkeypox vaccine will be available to attendees.

“These additional vaccines are supporting 12 community vaccination events being held at a variety of locations across New Orleans and the surrounding area leading up to Southern Decadence,” the White House said, adding that the CDC is also working with the city and state health departments to host “a large-scale vaccination event on site during the festival”.

The site will provide vaccinations for Covid-19 and Monkeypox, and testing for HIV and STIs.

“The Louisiana Department of Health is also pre-positioning courses of TPOXX in New Orleans in anticipation of any treatment needs for individuals who have been diagnosed” with Monkeypox, the administration added.

Atlanta Black Pride is being hosted in the Georgia capital between 2 and 4 September where the administration is sending an extra 5,500 doses to replenish “their stock of vaccine with the number of doses administered leading up to and during Black Pride events” in the city.

The administration added that in Fulton County, which includes large parts of Atlanta, the focus has been on “reaching communities of color given the disproportionate impact of the virus on Black individuals”.

The Oakland Pride and Pridefest are taking place on 4 and 11 September where the White House is sending 2,400 doses.

“The Administration is also working closely with California to help disseminate educational information and messaging to individuals planning on attending Pride and Pridefest events to make sure they know how to protect themselves from the virus and access vaccines, tests, and treatment,” the White House said.

The administration also announced a new programme to reach those struggling to schedule appointments online and those facing stigma “associated with attending public vaccine events that may require disclosure of sexual identity, gender identity, or level of sexual activity”.

A set of 10,000 vials of the vaccines will be set aside for health departments to request to use in “smaller-scale equity interventions”.

“Up to 100 vials per jurisdiction will be made available to be used in up to 5 equity related interventions, including distribution from community-based clinics that may not have been reached by the current vaccine supply, distribution at smaller events and in venues reaching Black and Latino LGBTQI+, and distribution to communities identified locally as a priority based on local epidemiology of MPV,” the administration said.