MPX and COVID-19 Rates Slow; Vaccinations Remain Steady
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Thursday, September 1 2022
Contact: Cabot Petoia, clpetoia@gmail.com, 828-899-9239
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Los Angeles — Today, St. John’s Community Health reported that monkeypox (MPX) vaccination rates remain high, with up to 450 people receiving a shot daily. To date, they’ve administered over 5,000 MPX vaccines, with the overwhelming majority going to Latinx and Black community members.
So far, they’ve seen 21 cases of MPX at their clinics, and have been able to prescribe TPoxx and follow up with patients recovering from the virus.
Meanwhile, the positive rate for COVID-19 has finally dropped, with up to 10 percent of those coming in for testing receiving a positive result. St. John’s is continuing to administer around 150 COVID-19 vaccines per day.
They are also currently waiting for a shipment of the new booster targeting the omicron subvariant, and are prepared to encourage patients to make appointments for the new shot through social media advertising and text messaging.
While St. John’s has continued to give out thousands of free at-home COVID-19 testing kits per week, the federal government has informed them they will cease to supply them with this resource beginning next week.
“We are starting to see a dip in both COVID-19 and MPX infections due to high rates of vaccination and continued community education and engagement,” said Jim Mangia, president and CEO of St. John’s Community Health. “We must continue to protect public health by making sure everyone has updated and accessible information on the latest vaccines and health practices. It’s essential to continue meeting people where they are.”