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Monkeypox vaccines available in limited quantity for Nueces County residents

The Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District said they have only received 116 vials of the monkeypox vaccine. Here's who can get it.

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Coastal Bend residents learned late Thursday night from 3NEWS that the Corpus Christi area has seen its first probable case of monkeypox, and now many are asking about access to the vaccine.

The Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District confirmed Friday morning that the patient in question, a male in his 20s, was treated at CHRISTUS Spohn Shoreline Hospital and released. He tested positive for Orthopoxvirus, which comes in many variants -- one of them being monkeypox.

Assistant Health Director Dante Gonzalez with the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health Department, said the sample was sent to the Centers for Disease Control who will then confirm if the patient did indeed have monkeypox or another pox virus like chickenpox. However, because it's the only pox virus that is prevalent in the state right now is monkeypox, officials are treating it as a probable case.

RELATED: Christus Spohn reports first case of monkeypox in our region

As for vaccines, the Health District does have them available but in limited quantity -- just 116 vials.

"Each patient requires two doses of this particular vaccine," Gonzalez said. "So, on the max end we would have 500 doses and on the low end we would have 300 doses, depending on how much vaccine can get drawn out from the vial."

Gonzalez said Nueces County residents get first crack at the vaccine over those from the surrounding areas.

"The vaccines of the allocation we were given is for Nueces County, so first if somebody would come to us we would talk to the State and we would talk to the region and then we would go from there," Gonzalez said. 

Those who end up testing positive for the monkeypox virus will not get the vaccine. Gonzalez said that only those who have come into direct contact with the virus within four to 14 days can get the vaccine. That's because the health department did not receive enough to give it out to anyone else.

"If you noticed that you have lesions that are popping up that you don't know where they're coming from, you have no idea where they came from," Gonzalez said, "or you noticed somebody else who had lesions and later on you notice you started getting some lesions, the recommendation always is to talk to your primary care provider."

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