Upcoming Pride at the Beach in Santa Barbara will make Mpox vaccines available

SANTA BARBARA, Calif.-In an effort slow the spread of Mpox, formerly referred to as Monkeypox in California, the Biden Administration is making vaccinations available at Pride events like this one in Ventura on Saturday and the one coming up in Santa Barbara on Saturday.

The Pacific Pride Foundation Executive Director Kristin Flickinger said they there will be enough to vaccinate 500 people when the festival makes a comeback at Chase Palm Park Field.

"We have Pacific Pride happening on 27th at Chase Palm Park Field and we will have vaccines, we will have 500 doses of the Mpox vaccine for people to come and receive" said Flickinger, "The government has put out some guidelines about who should receive the vaccine, but really it will be about whoever shows up and says they needs them."

Flickinger also said they will be administered intradermally, between layers of skin, rather than subcutaneously, or under the skin.

That only takes a fifth of the dose, making more doses available in each vaccine vile.

The Centers For Disease Control has been monitoring 14,000 cases in the United States.

The reason for the roll out at LGBTQ events is that 93 percent of those cases are among men who had sexual contact with other men.

But other people including children can get the virus from skin to skin contact.

The Pacific Pride Festival known as Pride at the Beach will be held from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday with lots of entertainment.

Robert Mendez of the Wildcat Lounge is in charge of entertainment and said, "We are going to have amazing entertainment, our headliner this year is CeCe Peniston, 80s, 90s R & B artist, which I am really excited about."

Fans may be familiar with her hits including "Finally" and "We Got that Love Thang."

There is also an afterparty at Wildcat Lounge starting at 8 p.m.

"This is a Pride for all, this is all about access, and inclusion and belonging, we want anyone who wants to come out and celebrate to come out and experience joy," said Flickinger, "It has been a long number of year for us, a lot of people in isolation and it is time for the community to come together and just celebrate."

For those who can't make it to the festival Mpox vaccinations will be available this Thursday from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Pacific Pride Foundation / Family Service Agency in Santa Maria at 105 N. Lincoln Street.

For more information visit www.PacificPrideFoundation.Org.