The city has issued several updates about its effort to combat monkeypox, including the opening of 8,000 new appointment slots for vaccines, and the availability of a second dose.

Starting today, the city will begin to offer walk-in appointments for a first dose of the vaccines, rather than by appointment only. The new 8,000 slots are expected to open at 4 p.m.

The city has also expanded the eligibility of the vaccine to include sex workers. Previous eligibility criteria required vaccine recipients to be homosexual men, transgender or non-binary, and someone who has had multiple or anonymous sexual partners in the last two weeks.

Despite these changes, the city’s efforts to deal with monkeypox have not been without criticism.

One Brownsville resident thinks there should be more vaccine clinics opened in neighborhoods of color.

“A lot of people in these neighborhoods don't have health care and that's sad to say,” he commented.

According to Health Department data, most cases in the city are among Black and Latino men.