Ontario Confident in Monkeypox Vaccine Strategy, Top Doc Says, But Some Seek Expansion

The top doctor in Ontario is the state's current monkeypox. He states that vaccination strategies are working and virus cases appear to be leveling, but some of the people who work with people in shelters want to better serve their communities. Some say that the immune system should be expanded.

Health doctor Keeran Moore has vaccinated more than 20,000 monkeypoxes so far, with priority groups having sex with gay, bisexual and other men. Said that he was doing. Men who meet certain criteria.

"We were able to get the vaccine we needed from a federal partner. We could staff an immune clinic to meet the needs of the population. We have the necessary funding and partnerships. Make sure our medical system protects people at risk from this virus, "Moore said in a recent interview.

"Our response in Ontario was very strong. There is still a long way to go, but the total number of (monkeypox) cases seems to have leveled off."

However, for some, the Ontario vaccination strategy was not sufficient to protect people living in high-risk environments such as homeless shelters, and was recently identified by those who attended Toronto shelters. We are focusing on cases of monkeypox.

Diana Chan McNally, a community worker at the Toronto Center for People in Need, said that monkeypox vaccines live in shelters given the collective nature of the environment. I believe it should be widely available to people. The fact that the people who live there may share their belongings.

"This kind of laissez-faire attitude towards vaccines does not prioritize the development of special protocols or actually consider the unique conditions that can lead to monkeypox infection. It's part of the fact that it looks like a shelter system, "said Chan McNally.

She also said that the current monkey vaccine strategy could be the target of shots for people living in shelters and people in the LGBTQ community who are experiencing sex workers and homelessness. He said he did not consider the intersection with. You may not be able to access the city-run vaccination clinic.

"I don't know why even small amounts can't bring a dedicated dose of vaccine to a priority group in the shelter system," she said. "I think it could help reduce the potential for spread."

Chan McNally also wants to see the shots offered to shelter workers. Said. "If we protect their health, we can protect the rest of the shelter system," she said.

The Toronto Public Health held a pop-up monkeypox vaccine clinic at a shelter where cases were recently reported. Moore states that it is part of Ontario's "ring vaccination" strategy for people who may have been exposed to known cases.

HomesFirst CEO Patricia Mueller said the company overseeing the shelter where the incident was confirmed had no more cases of monkeypox associated with it. She said their staff, the city, and the Toronto Public Health acted swiftly to move infected individuals to quarantine and recovery sites and establish vaccination clinics.

Mueller added that shelter workers are considered to be at low risk of monkeypox infection.

Toronto Public Health Officer Rita Shahin said that while those who meet the criteria are subject to shooting, the city is now a large monkey for all shelter residents. He said he had no plans for a monkeypox vaccine program.

"We need to monitor where the disease is and who is most at risk. If additional cases are seen or spread to the shelter system, That's certainly something we consider, "says Shahin.

Shahin also said the city's supply of monkeypox vaccine was "quite limited," but Moore said the state had "significant reserves" of emergency doses. Said there is.

Professor Thomas Tencate of the Department of Occupational Public Health at the University of Toronto Metropolitan University said that men who have sex with men should remain the main group to be vaccinated against monkeypox based on their predisposition to infection. I agree with that, but shelter pop-up clinics could be a way to actively curb the spread of the virus.

“When immunizing people in shelters, the strategy needs to be different from the general community,” says Tenkate. "People using shelters and homeless people really have to go to them."

He said to immunize people in shelters. Another challenge was to understand their health history and flag the complications that could result from being shot. "It may be a limiting factor in implementing it," he said.

The Ontario Department of Public Health reported a total of 449 monkeypox cases in the state as of Thursday, starting with 423 cases on Tuesday. The majority of cases (more than 77%) were reported in Toronto, according to the latest authorities' reports.

He also states that almost all infected people are male and only two have been reported in female patients. The virus is generally not easily spread and is transmitted through long-term intimate contact through respiratory droplets, direct contact with skin lesions and body fluids, or through contaminated clothing and bedding.