Many Capital Region health departments began rolling out monkeypox vaccinations this weekend to help prevent further spread of the disease.

Counties like Saratoga and Albany, among others, held clinics for individuals that qualified to be vaccinated against monkeypox.

Those requirements include those who had exposure to monkeypox in the past 14 days and people in high-risk groups such as those in the LGBTQ community.

Albany County Health Department Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen says while they're still monitoring the disease, she says it's spread through skin-to-skin contact

“It is something that can be contracted by anyone, and the transmission is essentially skin to skin,” Whalen said. “So we want to be able to focus our efforts on individuals that currently, based on our epidemiology that we have now, at highest risk.”

For more information on vaccine eligibility, Whalen says to check the State Department of Health’s website.