FT. LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Talent management agency FabScout Entertainment and production studio Media Gio Inc. arranged for nearly 40 people to receive the JYNNEOS monkeypox vaccine at the companies' offices yesterday.
Howard Andrew, president of FabScout, "reached out to the Broward County Department of Health and arranged for their medical professionals to come directly on site to administer vaccines," a rep said.
Those receiving the vaccine yesterday were largely performers in gay and trans adult, as well as "a few other businesspeople I work with — bartenders, club owners, drag queens," Andrew told XBIZ.
Given the rate at which the monkeypox virus has spread, Andrew felt the need to move quickly. "This was our second session; we will be setting up another," he added.
Director Gio Caruso, of Media Gio, noted that his studio has implemented "a full visual inspection of models prior to filming."
"At the beginning of the monkeypox outbreak, I received a phone call from Dr. Zachary Henry, the medical director of AIDS Healthcare Foundation Broward County, who instructed me on what visual signs to look for," he noted. "Since then, we have been vigilant in doing our best to keep our talent safe."
Caruso said the action taken by Andrew this week "is to be commended."
"Monkeypox is currently spreading quickly amongst our community, and it is important that we do our part in stopping the spread," he added.
Follow FabScout on Twitter and direct inquiries to howard@fabscout.com.
In related news, PASS has released preliminary monkeypox health and safety guidelines for adult film production and has advised all adult performers to get vaccinated.