Monkeypox cases are continuing to spread across the nation, though some states are starting to see more cases arise than others.
Among the top five states in the U.S. with the most reported cases is Texas, according to data compiled by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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On Wednesday, the CDC’s map showed Texas has the fourth highest number of cases, coming in at 485.
New York has been deemed the “epicenter” of the outbreak, with 1,617 cases, followed by California with 826 cases and Illinois with 533 cases. These numbers are subject to change, as the case numbers are updated daily.
Both New York and California have declared a public health emergency due to the spread of monkeypox.
Prior to these declarations, the World Health Organization also declared monkeypox a global health emergency on July 23.
So, where does San Antonio stand with monkeypox and how do the city’s case numbers compare to other Texas cities? We break it down below.
Monkeypox case numbers in Texas cities
Texas Health and Human Services has created a monkeypox case database, sorting confirmed cases by each public health region.
The case numbers on the DSHS website get updated daily. These were the case numbers reported on Tuesday, Aug. 2:
| Public Health Region | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| PHR 1 - Lubbock | 1 |
| PHR 2/3 - Arlington | 218 |
| PHR 4/5N - Tyler | 0 |
| PHR 6/5S - Houston | 161 |
| PHR 7 - Temple | 58 |
| PHR 8 - San Antonio | 15 |
| PHR 9/10 - El Paso | 1 |
| PHR 11 - Harlingen | 0 |
| Total | 454 |
Currently, the data shows that the majority of monkeypox cases are in the North Texas region and Houston.
In San Antonio, cases haven’t seen much of an uptick and have yet to reach 20 or higher. You can keep track of the case count in SA by visiting the city’s monkeypox webpage here.
Vaccine availability in San Antonio
Five hundred people in San Antonio can soon receive the monkeypox vaccine after a shipment of 1,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine arrived Tuesday.
The vaccine will be given in a two-shot regiment and will help combat the growing outbreak.
Six area clinics will receive 720 doses, which will cover 360 people, and the city will keep 280 doses for people who were exposed to someone who is positive for the illness.
You can find a list of these clinics that will have the vaccine here.
RELATED: San Antonio Metro Health receives 1,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine
More monkeypox vaccines are expected to be distributed to other states after U.S. health regulators signed off on nearly 800,000 monkeypox vaccines just last week.
This was on the heels of a shipment of 310,000 doses that the U.S. sent to some major cities, though the demand is still high.
Am I eligible for a vaccine?
Despite more shipments of Jynneos vaccine arriving, doses are still limited and so is the eligibility to receive one.
According to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District, there are three priority groups for those who may qualify to receive a dose.
- Priority Group 1
- Exposed individuals identified through contact tracing
- Priority Group 2
- Individuals with presumed exposure who:
- Know that a sexual partner in the past 14 days was diagnosed with monkeypox
- Attended an event or venue in the past 14 days and had a high-risk of exposure to someone with confirmed monkeypox through skin-to-skin or sexual contact
- Priority Group 3
- People living with HIV
- People on PrEP for the prevention of HIV
- NOTE: Vaccines for Priority Group 3 are available from select health care providers by appointment and only to those who meet the criteria listed above and have not had monkeypox symptoms. Please check with your health care provider to see if they have vaccines available.
What symptoms should you watch for?
The good news is the monkeypox virus isn’t as transmissible as COVID-19, according to health officials. Though, there are still a few ways you can contract it.
The virus typically spreads through skin-to-skin contact, but it can also transmit through “touching linens used by someone with the infection,” according to Metro Health.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes and a new, unexplained rash. The illness can last two to four weeks.
If you were exposed to monkeypox or have symptoms, Metro Health urges you to contact your health care provider as soon as possible. For more information, click here.