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MEMPHIS, Tenn.– As more cases of monkeypox emerge across the country, the demand for vaccines has increased in Shelby County.

With at least nine presumptive monkeypox cases in Shelby County, the demand for vaccines has increased. Officials at the Shelby County Health Department said more people are wanting to be vaccinated.

“I think it’s a really good sign when there is a demand for vaccines,” said Infectious Disease Specialist Dr. Manoj Jain.

Despite the optimism that infectious disease specialist, Dr. Jain feels everyone has not been able to get their hands on the shot. Tennessee has already received nearly 2,400 doses and requested nearly 5,800 more.

“People want to get vaccinated. I think that is very important as we’ve known about COVID, many people did not want to be vaccinated so that’s a good sign,” Dr. Jain said.

In an effort to ration vaccines, the Shelby County Health Department has started limiting who can get the vaccine.

You qualify for the shot if your sexual partner has been diagnosed with monkeypox or if you have had multiple sexual partners in the last 14 days in an area with a monkeypox outbreak.

Dr. Jain said it’s important that people are aware of the virus but not panic.

“There is no need for us to be panicking, what is reassuring is that it does not spread like COVID, predominantly from that respiratory group, it’s more of that contact root that it spreads,” he said.

A new shipment of vaccines is expected to come to Tennessee at the end of the month. It’s unclear how many will be arriving in Shelby County.

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