Hundreds of confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported in the country, mainly in Quebec and Ontario. However, on Friday, a case was confirmed on southern Vancouver Island – the first confirmed case of monkeypox outside of the Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) region. The disease has not yet been declared a global health emergency by the World Health Organization, despite the large number of cases being detected daily. Officials said the current risk to the public is very low. However, Canadian authorities said the majority of people who tested positive for the virus had sex with other men. This led to the VCH vaccination being rolled out in clinics and men’s baths this week, targeting those most at risk ahead of Pride celebrations at the end of July. Dr Mark Lysyshyn, VCH’s deputy chief medical officer of health, said vaccine supply is limited but there is currently high demand. “Although we started by vaccinating close contacts of cases and going to places where there were exposures, such as bathhouses or cruise areas, we have now expanded the vaccination campaign to people at risk of monkeypox,” he told CBC News. Lysyshyn said the vaccines came from a national stockpile managed by the federal government, and demand far outstripped supply. “We have large outbreaks happening in Toronto and Montreal and so they have requested large amounts of vaccines,” he said. “We have a smaller outbreak here, but we want to avoid getting into the situation they’re seeing there.” Monkey pox can cause fever, aches and chills, as well as a telltale rash or lesions all over the body. Authorities stressed that the infection can spread to anyone exposed through close contact with an infected person or contaminated objects, and is not limited to men who have sex with other men. VCH is currently focusing on HIV clinics and baths as part of the vaccine rollout and plans to establish a vaccination clinic in the West End – Vancouver’s historic hub for the LGBTQ+ community.
More than 100 were vaccinated at one event
Tod Berezowski, general manager of Steamworks Bathhouse in Vancouver, said there was a huge response when his store held a two-day vaccination clinic last weekend. He says 104 people were vaccinated in two days and he felt an obligation to his community to protect them from the virus. “The way we really have to look at it right now is proactive,” he said. “Let’s get it out. People want it. Let’s get them there so we don’t have these cases.” A negative stain electron micrograph shows a mulberry-type monkeypox virus particle. The virus is not considered a threat to the general public at this time. (CDC) Berezovsky said it’s especially important to do this for the city’s gay community ahead of Vancouver’s pride parade, which officially kicks off on July 31 but will have several events in the week leading up to it. She says she made calls for days after the vaccination clinic ended and hopes VCH will continue to expand vaccination efforts. “I feel like if we had enough vaccines right now, people should be able to line up and just go and get them.”
