The Denver Department of Health houses a monkeypox vaccination clinic

DENVER — The Denver Department of Public Health & Environment (DDPHE) is hosting a monkeypox vaccine clinic on Saturday.

The clinic is between 11:00 am and 2:00 pm at the Swansea Recreation Center at 2650 E. 49th Ave. held in Denver.

Appointments are available to people who “self-verify their eligibility through the appointment request form,” DDPHE said in the press release.

The criteria that determine whether someone is eligible for the vaccine has recently been expanded. People who are eligible for the vaccine include:

• Anyone who has had close physical contact with someone with monkeypox in the past 14 days.
• Everyone who:
  • Has multiple or anonymous sexual partners, or
  • Having close physical contact with other people in a place where anonymous or group sex can take place, or
  • Has been diagnosed with gonorrhea or syphilis in the past six months, or
  • lives with HIV or
  • already used HIV-PrEP (medicines to prevent HIV, e.g. Truvada or Descovy or Apretude) or is suitable for HIV-PrEP, or
  • Engages in commercial and/or transactional sex (eg, sex for money, shelter, food, and other goods or needs).
• Anyone identified by public health as a known high-risk contact of an individual with monkeypox.

RELATED: Vaccines, behavior changes behind ‘encouraging’ monkeypox numbers, doctors say

The JYNNEOS vaccine is a fully FDA-approved two-dose vaccine. The doses are given four weeks apart.

The vaccine can prevent people from getting sick in the first place if they are vaccinated within four days of exposure to monkeypox. If given between four and 14 days, the vaccine can still help prevent serious illness but may not completely prevent infection.

Monkeypox can begin with flu-like symptoms that can include fever, headache, muscle pain, swollen lymph nodes, and fatigue. Typically, a rash or bumps develop within one to three days of the onset of the fever.

Monkeypox can look like syphilis, herpes, blisters or acne, DDPHE said. However, in more recent cases, additional symptoms did not always appear, or not at all, before the rash or bumps appeared.

Anyone who thinks they have been exposed to monkeypox should avoid physical contact with others and contact a doctor immediately.

For more information on monkeypox in Colorado, visit the DDPHE website and the Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment website.

RELATED: Some officials now say US elimination of monkeypox is unlikely

> Watch 9NEWS original programming, live Colorado news and weather updates, daily forecasts and sports coverage free in the 9NEWS+ app on Roku and Fire TV.

SRECOMMENDED VIDEOS: The latest from 9NEWS

See more of 9NEWS in the free 9NEWS+ app roku and Fire TV.

9NEWS+ has several daily live shows including 9NEWS Mornings, Next with Kyle Clark and 9NEWS+ Daily, an original streaming program. 9NEWS+ is the place to see live breaking news, weather updates and press conferences. You can also catch the latest newscasts and find on-demand videos covering our top Colorado stories, local politics, investigations and special features.

Download 9NEWS+ on Roku Search for KUSA.

Download 9NEWS+ on Fire TV Search for 9NEWS.