UCSF site in Fresno to offer drive-through monkeypox vaccinations starting Wednesday
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr. Kenny Banh from UCSF Fresno got his first dose of the monkeypox vaccine.
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- The Fresno County Board of Supervisors approved funding for the University of California San Francisco to conduct screening, vaccination and treatment of communicable diseases.
The provision includes the addition of the monkeypox vaccine at the UCSF Mobile Heal Site in northeast Fresno.
At this time, the Fresno County Department of Public Health has distributed 100 vials of vaccine to the UCSF team.
This means 500 doses are now available for eligible individuals at the location.
The UCSF Fresno campus, off Shaw and Mariposa near Fashion Fair Mall, is also a drive-through COVID vaccine site.
Starting Wednesday, there will also be a drive-through set up to administer the monkeypox vaccine.
Earlier on Tuesday, Dr. Kenny Banh from UCSF Fresno got his first dose.
This is a two-shot vaccine, given about 28 days apart.
The vaccine is similar to a Tuberculosis test - a small bubble just beneath the skin remains for a while after being administered, a few hours to a few days.
The UCSF site in Fresno is not a monkeypox testing site, it's just for vaccines.
If you think you have monkeypox, you should reach out to your primary care doctor or the health department to get tested.
Health officials say you will gradually start to see more clinics to get vaccinated against monkeypox as the county receives more vials of the shot.
"Every couple weeks as we get more monkeypox vaccines, we can expand that access to those that are at-risk and broaden it so we can protect a larger part of the county population," said Dr. Banh.
This site goes live Wednesday the 24th.
They can help you register for the shot there on site, but it will be much easier if you pre-register online and make an appointment.
You can do that starting Wednesday morning here.
That's the same site many people used to sign up for their COVID-19 vaccines.
Also on that website, you can find out if you are currently eligible for the vaccine, or you can check the Fresno County Public Health Department's website.
Eligibility varies by county.
A breakdown of monkeypox vaccine distribution:
Fresno County had 730 allocated vaccines and 710 have been distributed.
Tulare County has distributed all of its 176 vaccines.
Merced County has given out 40 of its 60 vaccines.
And both Madera and Kings County have distributed all 20 of their vaccines.
