Manitoba is expanding the eligibility for the monkeypox vaccine, the province announced Tuesday.
The province is aligning with recent recommendations made by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.
The eligibility requirements cover those who self-identify as cisgender, transgender or two-spirit people and who those self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (gbMSM) community who have:
- been diagnosed with a sexually transmitted infection in the last year
- have had two or more sexual partners in the last 90 days
- have attended locations for sexual contact (e.g. bathhouses or sex clubs) or are planning to
Eligibility has recently been expanded to include individuals who self-identify as sex workers, regardless of self-identified sex or gender. Eligibility also now includes staff or volunteers at sex-on-premises venues who may have had contact with objects or materials that could have been contaminated with the monkeypox virus.
Additionally, Manitoba is now offering a second dose of the vaccine to all eligible people. The second dose should be given 28 days after the first, according to the province.
Newly eligible individuals can begin booking vaccination appointments on Thursday at 9 a.m.
Manitoba has reported one confirmed case of monkeypox to date. Anyone can be infected, though the cases seem to be reported among people who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men community.
As of Oct. 2, 997 doses of the vaccine have been administered to eligible people in Manitoba.
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