The NHS in London, along with local public health teams, will be accelerating the rollout of the monkeypox vaccine from this week, prioritising individuals who are most likely to get the virus.
NHS staff across the country have already started vaccinating eligible gay, bisexual or men who have sex with men (GBMSM), along with the frontline staff at greatest risk of exposure and those who have been in close contact with a confirmed case, in line with the UK Health Security Agency advice.
While the vaccine is available across the country and being rolled out in clinics, the expansion in London comes as NHS and UKHSA confirm that London will receive additional doses of the existing supply in an effort to break the chains of transmission as quickly as possible.
Thousands more people who are eligible in the capital will now be contacted over the next few days and weeks about getting their jab, as plans are scaled up and more supply becomes available.
The public is being asked to wait to be contacted with the head of the NHS vaccination programme urging those who are invited to come forward at the earliest possible opportunity.
On Tuesday, UKHSA announced that they had procured more than 100,000 additional vaccine doses with the first 20,000 set to be delivered for use by the NHS in August.
There has been a total of 2,050 confirmed monkeypox cases across England so far with the majority based in London.
In London, there are more than 18 clinics offering vaccinations including Dean Street sexual health clinic in Soho, Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, Guy’s Hospital in Southwark, Mortimer Market Centre in Camden and Outpatients East, Barking Community Hospital. Work to identify, book in and vaccinate patients is underway at every clinic.
Last weekend, clinics in London delivered over 1,000 vaccinations. NHS staff are working hard to offer weekend appointments with as many as 2,000 being offered over Saturdays and Sundays throughout July to maximise convenience.
Steve Russell, NHS Director of Vaccinations, said: “While the risk of monkeypox remains very low and nearly every case we have seen so far has recovered quickly, over 2,000 people have been affected by the virus.
“On the whole, the cases we are seeing are among gay and bisexual men or men who have sex with men, with a significant number coming from London and so it is vital that those who are most likely to get the virus get vaccinated as quickly as possible.
“The NHS is now scaling up its plans to get people vaccinated, particularly in London, thanks to the efforts of staff who are working hard to help stop onward spread, in line with UKHSA advice.
“Thousands more people will be invited very shortly with the number of clinics expanded too, and as we have done with the most successful covid vaccination programme in history, the NHS will leave no stone unturned in ensuring everyone who is eligible can get protected.
“We will be inviting anyone who we believe is a priority for vaccination and local teams will be working to make sure that anyone who meets the criteria set by UKHSA knows how they can get their jab.
“We are asking people to wait to be contacted and to come forward at the earliest opportunity possible when invited to get vaccinated.”
Over the coming weeks, the number of clinics across the country offering a pre-exposure vaccination will grow rapidly, making it as quick and convenient as possible for people to get a vaccine.
