The Larimer County Department of Health and Environment announced there is a limited supply of monkeypox vaccines now available to high-risk individuals. In order to be eligible for a vaccine, each interested person must meet specific criteria and fill out an appointment request form.

A recent article by CSU SOURCE stated the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment will dispatch a mobile vaccine clinic to Colorado State University Tuesday, Aug. 30, where eligible students, staff and faculty may receive a free vaccine. The clinic will be parked in the Moby Arena parking lot from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and requires each person to fill out a formal request form before arriving.

Filling out a request form does not guarantee vaccine approval. Individuals who do not meet the requirements to receive vaccines at this time can sign up for vaccine eligibility and informational updates through this link.

According to an LCDHE’s press release, “high-risk individuals are currently defined as:

• Anyone aged 18 years and older who has had close physical contact with someone who has monkeypox in the last 14 days.
• Gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men or transgender, nonbinary or gender-diverse people aged 18 years and older who:
  • Have had multiple sexual partners in the past 14 days or
  • Have had sexual partners they did not previously know in the past 14 days or
  • Have had close physical contact with other people in a venue where anonymous or group sex may occur.”

Symptoms of monkeypox may appear in a variety of ways but are most often associated with flu-like symptoms and the development of rashes on the skin. If you think you are experiencing symptoms or you have had close contact with someone with monkeypox, contact your health care provider or explore the CDPHE’s list of Colorado clinics offering monkeypox testing.

According to the CDPHE’s website, since May and through Aug. 26, Colorado has had 203 known cases of monkeypox with seven hospitalizations, and five cases have been reported in Larimer County. As stated on the CDPHE website, monkeypox spreads through close contact, and “brief interactions without physical contact are unlikely to result in getting the virus.”

Reach Miles Buchan at news@collegian.com or on Twitter @csucollegian.