The state Department of Health received 357 doses of the monkeypox vaccine this week, known as Jynneos, to help stop the spread of the disease.
To date, there have been six verified cases of monkeypox in Hawaii, all located on Oahu, with links between each individual verified by the DOH.
Jynneos is a two-dose vaccine administered 28 days apart and is the only vaccine FDA-approved to treat monkeypox.
Additional doses of the vaccine are expected to arrive in the coming months for wider distribution.
“As vaccine supplies are currently limited, we have developed a strategy for vaccine allocation in Hawaii to protect those at increased risk,” said Deputy State Epidemiologist Nathan Tan during a media briefing Wednesday.
Distribution will take place in a two-part approach, influenced by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s guidelines that prioritize close contacts and high risk groups.
“For the first phase, we’ll use this current allocation to vaccinate close contacts and people known to have monkeypox,” said Tan. “And for people who may have had high risk exposures in venues or areas where monkeypox is actively spreading.”
The DOH will be handling distribution of the vaccines during the first phase.
“We expect to receive additional doses in the coming weeks,” said Tan, who noted the federal government anticipates more than 1.6 million doses being made available nationwide this year.
“In the second phase of our distribution plan, broader vaccination of people who may be at risk of severe illness or future exposure will be considered,” he said.
Tan stated that nationwide, high risk groups include gay and bisexual men, indicating they will be prioritized during phase two of vaccine distribution.
“We are currently reviewing the CDC guidance on that, meeting with our neighbor island district health offices, and other partners to devise a phase two plan,” said State Epidemiologist Sarah Kemble. “We have not yet learned how many vaccines we will receive in phase two, so we will be looking at those numbers when we get them, and determining how to focus vaccines to reach those who are most impacted and most likely to have severe outcomes from monkeypox.”
Monkeypox symptoms start seven to 14 days after exposure and can include a rash or sores that look like pimples or blisters, as well as fever or flu-like symptoms. Severe cases can lead to severe scars on the face, arms and legs, blindness, other infections, or in rare cases, death.
Email Grant Phillips at gphillips@hawaiitribune-herald.com.