UK to run out of monkeypox vaccine with more doses not arriving for weeks, sexual health groups say
Medical syringes and a bottle are seen with a ‘Monkeypox’ sign. (NurPhoto via Getty/ Jakub Porzycki)
The UK will likely be without monkeypox vaccine doses for four weeks, leading sexual health groups have warned.
Details of a shortage emerged on Wednesday (10 August) when The Financial Times published parts of an internal NHS letter, which claimed there were just 8,300 vaccine doses left in the UK.
That means the UK could find itself out of vaccine in as little as 10 days.
Vaccine shortages aren’t UK specific – all countries that are vaccinating at-risk groups against monkeypox are contending with a global shortage of supply.
However, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is facing criticism from sexual health charities, with some claiming the government has failed to order enough vaccines to meet supply.
UK has ‘missed the boat’ on vaccine orders
Ceri Smith, head of policy at the Terrence Higgins Trust, told PinkNews it’s “concerned” about the modelling the UKHSA has produced on vaccination.
“The plan is to vaccinate around 60,000 to 75,000 people in total, if you look at the number of vaccines they’ve ordered,” Smith said.
“But we, and the British Association for Sexual Health and HIV (BASHH), have estimated that we may need to vaccinate 125,000 people.”
A large shipment of vaccines is expected in September, but according to Smith, there won’t be enough to vaccinate all at-risk groups even when that shipment arrives.
Detail of the serum being administered at a DC vaccine clinic for Monkeypox in Washington, DC.
(Bill O’Leary/The Washington Post via Getty)
Overseas, the United States and Australia have put in enormous order for smallpox vaccines – what the UK and other countries are using to inoculate against monkeypox.
That will make it harder for the UK to source more doses at a later stage, as it’ll be at the back of the queue.
‘Very disappointed’
“We’ve missed the boat basically in terms of increasing the amount of vaccine we’ll be procuring, and this is something that we are very disappointed by,” Smith said.
Smith wants to see “strong government leadership” to make sure all at-risk groups are vaccinated against monkeypox with haste.
“There has to be that strong leadership in creating a long-term plan, making sure there is a plan for procuring more vaccines, even though we’ll now be at the back of the queue for more doses,” Smith added.
“This can’t just be a UK issue, we’ve really got to work internationally to make sure it’s not just the global north taking up all the supply and putting gay and bisexual men in other countries.”
(CDC/Getty Images)
Vaccine uptake ‘extremely high’
Claire Dewsnap, president of BASHH, says uptake of the vaccine has been higher than government health officials expected, which has made the amplified the shortage.
“It is disappointing we’re now going to have a gap between now and the next vaccine, but I think it is a reflection of the fact that people have gone out and gotten their vaccine,” said Dewsnap.
“The next bit of work for BASHH and for other agencies is going to be providing evidence that shows that’s what we need and demonstrating to policy makers that we absolutely need more vaccine than we’ve requested.”
There’s also work to be done to make sure people from at-risk groups are actually getting access to vaccines.
“You’ll have seen the queues around the block – they’re essentially always cis white men. We need people of racial minorities, we need trans people, women that might be connected with some of the networks that are at higher risk, and sex workers to be able to access those services.”
People wait in line to recieve the Monkeypox vaccine before the opening of a new mass vaccination site at the Bushwick Education Campus in Brooklyn. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty)
Right now, however, the message to at risk groups is simple: don’t panic.
“We are doing our very best to help and as soon as we get vaccines we’ll get you in,” Dewsnap says.
“The weight is being borne by the community and we don’t want people to feel that way, so we’re working really hard to make sure this happens. I want to say I’m really sorry we haven’t got what they need right now.”
PinkNews has contacted the UKHSA for comment.
