The San Francisco Department of Public Health (SFDPH) announced Friday that SF is now expected to get at least 1,600 monkeypox more vaccine doses in the next distribution from the federal supply. In order to get this allotment, clinics — including the drop-in one at Zuckerberg SF General Hospital — will be using a transdermal injection technique, which requires just a fifth of the vaccine dose used in traditional subcutaneous methods to achieve the same efficacy.

As of publishing, there are 638 suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox in San Francisco; in the state of California, there are 2,660. Thus far, more than 40,000 cases of this zoonotic disease have caused at least five fatalities, most of which were the result of either pre-existing conditions or the inability to access appropriate healthcare.

In the seven-by-seven, 23,000 units of the two-dose monkeypox vaccine by Jynneos have been received from the federal stockpile by way of allocation from the California Department of Public Health. (To meet the current need, SFDPH has requested 35,000 doses to begin meeting the need.)

Now, another 1,600 units are coming to the city from the same reserve — and, per the FDA, will need to be administered by the above-described injection technique.

"Fed & state authorities informed us that SF will receive 1,600 vials of #monkeypox vaccine in next allotment," reads a tweet from the City's public health department published Friday. "[Zuckerberg SF General Hospital] and other clinics to switch to intradermal vax, as required to receive the allotment. This allows for ~8,000 doses of vaccine available."

Up until now, San Francisco healthcare professionals have administered monkeypox vaccines by injecting the doses subcutaneously, just below the skin layer. This method is, by and large, considered the norm; COVID-19 vaccines, for example, were mostly administered in such a way. But some inoculations can be administered transdermally — the vaccine dose being injected into the dermal layer — and achieve nearly identical efficaciousness.

Aside from patient benefits, which include less severe reactions and faster recovery times, healthcare professional can use less of the vaccine dose; for the Jynneos vaccine, a fifth of the amount normally used for subcutaneous injections can be used for transdermal shots, all while providing equal protection and shoring up vaccine supplies.

This is why the allocated 1,600 units can be stretched to accommodate 8,000 injections.

The walk-in clinic at SF Zuckerberg General Hospital will reopen Monday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and will be open daily through Friday until supplies are exhausted.

For more information on monkeypox in SF, including eligibility for the vaccine, case counts, vaccine locations, and ways to avoid infection visit sf.gov/monkeypox.

Related: Zuckerberg SF General Hospital Opens Its First Weekend Monkeypox Vaccine Clinic

New Data Shows Monkeypox Outbreak Disproportionately Impacts Latinx Communities in SF

Photo: Doctor, Molly Dickinson administers a dose of the monkeypox vaccine to Arthur Macedo, 37 on July 23, 2022 in London, England. The NHS is expanding its rollout in London as monkeypox cases continue to increase in the capital. Monkeypox, a rare disease, is part of the same family of viruses as smallpox. (Photo by Hollie Adams/Getty Images)