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THUNDER BAY — The Thunder Bay District Health Unit has confirmed plans for its first clinic for monkeypox vaccinations.
A first-dose pre-exposure clinic for eligible recipients of Imvamune vaccine will be held Wed. Aug. 10 at the TBDHU offices at 999 Balmoral Street.
Limited appointments are available by calling 625-5900 starting Mon. Aug. 8.
The vaccine is approved in Canada for protection against monkeypox before exposure (pre-exposure prophylaxis or PrEP) or after (post-exposure prophylaxis or PEP).
A health unit spokesperson says it has shared the details with local organizations that advocate for and communicate with the target population for the clinic.
The clinic is for trans or cis-gender individuals, 18 years or over, who self-identify as belonging to the gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men community (gbMSM) and either have recently travelled or plan to travel to a city where monkeypox transmission is happening (such as Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa or Minneapolis) and have attended or plan to attend venues such as bathhouses or sex clubs for sexual contact, or attended or plant to attend social gatherings or events where there is sexual activity.
In its message to stakeholders, TBDHU said the eligible group also includes individuals who may work or volunteer at such venues or gatherings.
The health unit said it will also work with local health care providers to ensure PrEP is easily accessible in district communities.
Anyone from outlying communities who qualifies for this clinic is welcome to receive the vaccine in Thunder Bay.
TBDHU said it is working with the province to advocate for additional doses for the Thunder Bay district, and that more vaccine clinics and expanded eligibility will be implemented as soon as possible.
Rainbow Collective of Thunder Bay continues to lobby for the expansion of eligibility to more people, saying the risk of monkeypox remains high for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities.
As of Aug. 4, there were 449 confirmed cases of monkeypox in Ontario, all but two of which involves males.
There were no cases anywhere in Northwestern Ontario.
NOTE: A previous version of this story has been updated with a new telephone number provided by the Thunder Bay District Health Unit.
