Monkeypox has been declared a public health emergency by the New York City Health Department amid the rapid spike in positive cases.

According to the CDC, New York has 1,247 positive cases of monkeypox.

News 12 is told almost 26,000 doses of the monkeypox vaccine were delivered to New York City. The vaccines started to roll out last weekend to those who were considered as high-risk individuals. The city has decided to prioritize getting individuals one does of the vaccine.

"This outbreak must be met with urgency, action, and recourses, both nationally and globally, and this declaration of a public health emergency reflects the seriousness of the moment," the mayor's office said in a statement on Saturday.

New York City has opened various vaccination locations for monkeypox. Appointments can be made on the NYC Health website