(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Monkeypox cases may be starting to plateau in the city, Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady said Wednesday.
She said there are “definitely some signs of slowing of cases,” during a Facebook Live session to discuss the virus.
There have been more than 790 cases of monkeypox since the outbreak started in June, the Chicago Department of Public Health reports. That includes 113 new cases reported last week, compared to 138 cases and 141 cases the previous two weeks.
“The good thing is we’re not seeing the potentially exponential growth that we were seeing early on,” Arwady said.
She said the smaller doses of the MPV vaccine approved by the FDA have been a "game changer" in prevention.
“It's like a tuberculosis skin test,” she said. “You just do a smaller dose directly under the surface of the skin and that gives the level of protection like a deeper one with a larger dose would be.”
Arwady said they now get four to five vaccinations instead of just one from each vaccine vial.
The highest vaccination rates are currently in neighborhoods with the highest case counts, including Lake View, Uptown and Edgewater.
However, 65 of Chicago’s 77 community areas are reporting cases.
“I would like to see some more vaccination happening, especially on the South Side,” added Arwady. “We continue to really work on that.”
The city of Chicago recently updated its vaccine eligibility to include any male over the age of 18 who is sexually active with other men.
Said Arwady: “We want to encourage folks in that group to get vaccinated, if you met recent partners through online applications or social media platforms. We’re hearing that meeting people online is one of the biggest risk factors that people are reporting who turn out to be diagnosed with MPV.”
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