PHILADELPHIA—The Philadelphia Department of Public Health has expanded opportunities for eligible Philadelphians to receive monkeypox vaccine. In addition to calling the Health Department’s Call Center at (215) 685-5488 for people who feel they may have been exposed or are at high-risk, patients at select health care clinics can receive monkeypox vaccine at no charge. This expansion was made possible as the City has received more monkeypox vaccine from the federal government. The Health Department is working to expand where vaccines can be administered commensurate with the amount of vaccine received.
“Monkeypox is a growing threat in the LGBTQ community,” said Coleman Terrell, director of the Health Department’s Division of Disease Control. “Being vaccinated is one of the best ways to protect yourself and your partner and community. We are eagerly awaiting more vaccine to be delivered so we can continue to offer it to more people. In the meantime, we continue to encourage individuals to make the safest choices and have open conversations with their partners.”
Monkeypox vaccines have been provided to the following clinics for distribution to existing patients. The clinics will be reaching out to their patients to offer appointments. None of these clinics are providing walk-in vaccine appointments.
- Mazzoni Center
- Philadelphia FIGHT
- Presbyterian Hospital
- Drexel Partnership
- Penn Medicine
People who are at high risk or may have been exposed but are not existing patients at these clinics are encouraged to call the Health Department’s Call Center at (215) 685-5488. The call takers will review eligibility and set a vaccine appointment if eligible.
The Health Department continues to engage with health care clinics throughout the city to expand the availability of monkeypox vaccine to high-risk individuals. As more vaccine becomes available, more people will be made eligible to receive it and more clinics and clinic hours will be made available.
For the latest information on monkeypox in Philadelphia, including information on vaccine eligibility, please visit the Health Department’s blog post: The latest on monkeypox in Philadelphia.