The beauty of the Palm Springs community was on full display Thursday afternoon at event designed to combat an ugly disease.
The news: Roughly 250 people received a dose of the monkeypox vaccine at a pop-up clinic downtown. Oscar’s, at 125 E. Tahquitz Canyon Way, graciously opened its doors for the event. Some who received their dose had appointments, but many chose to wait in line, sometimes for hours.
- Queer Works, a Palm Springs-based nonprofit, helped arrange for the clinic, which was staffed by healthcare workers from Riverside University Health System.
- Staff from DAP Health was also on hand, as were representatives from Riverside County Behavioral Health Services. Monkeypox and other vital healthcare information was available, in addition to snacks and cold beverages.
Getting a monkeypox vaccine is not a quick jab like a Covid shot. The vaccine is injected into the tissue layer between the skin and the muscle with a short needle and takes about five minutes to be fully administered. After that, you wait 15 minutes to see if you experience any symptoms.
- Similar to the Covid vaccine, however, you need a second dose for it to be most effective. That can be administered as early as 28 days after your initial dose. Combined, the doses give you roughly 85% immunity from the disease.
Up next: DAP has been busy administering monkeypox vaccines at clinics that require pre-screening. Another is this Saturday at the Palm Springs Convention Center.
- To express interest in receiving a vaccine, go the county website here and fill out the form.
