“Monkeypox Clinics to Begin Offering Walk-up Only Vaccination Services on September 23” and ICYMI: COVID19 test kits have been granted a six-month extension and Props to the DC Health’s Covid center at 10th and U

From the Mayor’s Office:

“Today, Mayor Muriel Bowser and DC Health announced that the District’s three monkeypox clinics will transition to walk-up only services beginning Friday, September 23. Eligible individuals will no longer need to pre-register for monkeypox vaccinations and will be able to visit any of the three DC Health monkeypox clinics for their first or second dose.

Those who received their first dose through a pre-registered appointment will receive guidance via email on obtaining their second vaccination dose. Beginning September 23, those receiving their first dose of the monkeypox vaccine will receive a written reminder on when to return for their second dose. According to the CDC, the second dose of the monkeypox vaccine should be administered between 24 and 32 days after the initial dose, however, it can also be effective if administered more than 32 days after the initial dose.

Vaccination doses will be subject to availability at each of the three clinics. Residents are encouraged to follow DC Health’s social media channels for updates on availability at each site.

DC Health Monkeypox Clinic Locations:

Those eligible for the monkeypox vaccine include District residents, individuals who work in the District, students enrolled at District universities/colleges, and persons affiliated with DC Health Programs that receive health care services in DC, and 18 years of age or older, who meet one of the following criteria:

All people, of any sexual orientation or gender, who have had multiple sexual partners in the past 2 weeks, including those currently considered highest risk: gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, transgender men, and transgender women; or
Men who have sex with men who are non-monogamous (pre-exposure prophylaxis); or
Sex workers (of any sexual orientation or gender); or
Staff (of any sexual orientation or gender) at establishments where sexual activity occurs (e.g., bathhouses, saunas, sex clubs).
People of any sexual orientation or gender who:

Are living with HIV/AIDS or have been diagnosed with any sexually transmitted infection in the past three months.

Monkeypox is a potentially serious viral illness that can be transmitted from person to person through direct contact with the infectious rash, scabs, or body fluids. It can spread during intimate physical contact between people, including sex, kissing, and hugging. It also can be spread by respiratory secretions during prolonged face-to-face contact or when a person touches fabrics, such as bedding and towels, used by a person with monkeypox.

Initial symptoms of monkeypox often include flu-like symptoms such as fever, headache, muscle aches, and swollen lymph nodes, followed by a rash and lesions on the skin. Although the majority of cases do not require hospitalization, monkeypox can be dangerous, contagious, and uncomfortable. Anyone with a rash that looks like monkeypox should talk to their healthcare provider about whether they need to get tested, even if they don’t think they had contact with someone who has monkeypox.

For more information about monkeypox or case data for the District, please visit PreventMonkeypox.dc.gov.”

And a reminder from DC Health:

“#ICYMI – iHealth home #COVID19 test kits have been granted a six-month extension from the printed expiration date from the FDA. For example, if the expiration date printed on your test kit box reads 2022-08, the updated expiration date is 2023-02. Go here.

And a reader writes:

“Really pleased with the experience getting a Covid booster at ward 1’s Covid center. Super efficient operations and lovely staff. I was in and out in 30 minutes, including the 15 minute observation time.”