NYC site for monkeypox vaccine down after opening for appointments

NEW YORK (PIX11) --- The site for scheduling monkeypox vaccination appointments in New York City appears to have crashed less than half an hour after new appointments were opened on Tuesday.

"The service is unavailable," the site read,

The site had been set to offer 1,250 appointments for the vaccine. New York City has become the epicenter for monkeypox. As of Monday, 223 people in New York City have tested positive for orthopoxvirus; each of those 223 people likely has monkeypox.

"An absolutely shambolic rollout on @nycHealthy’s *3rd attempt* to accommodate thousands of gay and bi who want the #monkeypox vaccine," State Sen. Brad Hoylman said. "Clearly the system has crashed."

The Department of Health is aware of the problem and working on it, City Councilperson Erik Bottcher said.

"Who could have predicted this? a: EVERYONE Honestly, this is why people think government can’t competently execute simple tasks," Bottcher tweeted.