New Brunswick Is Now A Monkeypox Vaccine Site

NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ — On Friday, Gov. Phil Murphy and Department of Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli announced that the state is opening additional vaccination sites for monkeypox in Hudson, Middlesex, Morris and Passaic counties.

As of August 11, there are 293 confirmed or probable monkeypox cases in the state.

The Middlesex County site is the Eric B. Chandler Health Center at 277 George Street in New Brunswick, NJ 0890.

The site is appointment only via: 732-235-6733

These vaccine sites are for residents without a confirmed exposure who believe they may have been exposed or are at high risk for having been exposed to the virus.

These sites will be administering a smaller vaccine dose to those age 18 and over, as newly permitted by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s emergency use authorization for the monkeypox vaccine. Similar to the multiple coronavirus vaccines, the monkeypox vaccine is brand new and was only just approved by the FDA for emergency use. Two doses of the vaccine given four weeks (28 days) apart will still be needed.

According to the CDC, as of this week there are 8,934 cases of monkepox in the U.S. and 98 percent of these cases are among men who have sex with other men. But health officials say the virus could spread to anyone.

Vaccinations against monkeypox at these sites are provided for free. Vaccinators may bill insurance for the administration if the patient has insurance, but no one will be turned away due to insurance coverage, ability to pay or immigration status.

These five new monkeypox vaccine sites join five existing vaccination sites in Camden, Essex, Hudson, Bergen and Monmouth counties. The five new sites are:

Hudson County:

• North Hudson Community Action Corp: Hudson County Community College (HCCC), 4800 Kennedy Blvd., Union City, NJ 07087 and HCCC, 70 Sip St., Jersey City, NJ 07306
https://nhcac.org/northhudsonm...

Middlesex County:

• Eric B. Chandler Health Center at 277 George Street in New Brunswick, NJ 0890.
  The site is appointment only via: 732-235-6733

Morris County:

• Zufall Health Center, 18 West Blackwell St., Dover, NJ 07801 Appointment only via: 973-891-3419

Passaic County:

• Passaic County Health Department, 930 Riverview Drive, Rear, Suite 250, Totowa, NJ 07512 Appointment only via: 973-881-4396

Residents are eligible to receive a vaccine at these nine community sites if they meet one of the following criteria:

• People who attended an event where known monkeypox exposure occurred within the past 14 days.
• People who had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days in areas where monkeypox has been reported.

According to the NJ Health Dept.:

Anyone is able to get monkeypox through close contact with someone who has the virus. The Dept. of Health will continue outreach efforts to residents who are currently disproportionately impacted by this outbreak. Based on current cases, this includes gay and bisexual men, and other men who have sex with men, although this may change in the future.

Persons that have a condition that may increase their risk for severe disease if infected with monkeypox virus, such as a condition that weakens the immune system, or a history of atopic dermatitis or eczema, should be a high priority for vaccination.

Infections caused by the monkeypox strain that is currently spreading in the United States are rarely fatal. Over 99 percent of people who get this form of the disease are likely to survive. Children under age 8, people with weakened immune systems, a history of skin problems such as eczema, or who are pregnant 2 or breastfeeding may be more likely to get seriously ill or die. Even though it is rarely fatal, monkeypox can be very painful and the rash may cause permanent scars.