The governor of California has proclaimed a state of emergency to expedite the fight against the monkeypox outbreak, making California the second state in three days to do so.
The proclamation, according to Governor Gavin Newsom, would aid California in coordinating a federal response, obtaining more vaccines, and leading outreach and education initiatives on where people can receive treatment and vaccinations.
In a statement announcing his decision on Monday, Newsom said, “We’ll continue to work with the federal government to get additional vaccinations, increase awareness about decreasing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community combating stigmatization.”
According to state public health experts, there have been close to 800 cases of monkeypox in California.
Hugging, kissing, and other close skin-to-skin contact can all result in the transmission of the monkeypox virus, as can sharing of linens, towels, and clothing. Health experts point out that although the virus may infect anybody, guys who have had sex with other men have been the majority of those falling sick so far.
“Public health officials are clear: stigma is unacceptable and counterproductive in public health response,” Michelle Gibbons, executive director of the County Health Executives Association of California said in a statement. “The fact is that monkeypox is primarily spread by skin to skin contact and sharing objects like bedding or towels, without regard to sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The monkeypox virus type seen in this epidemic seldom causes death, and patients often recover in a few of weeks. But the virus’ sores and blisters are uncomfortable, and if they are in the throat or anus, they may make it difficult to swallow or urinate.
The announcement in California followed ones of a similar nature made on Saturday in New York and on Thursday in San Francisco. Even as recently as Friday, the Newsom administration has argued that it was premature to make such a proclamation.
Additionally on Monday, JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, designated the monkeypox virus a public health emergency and the state a disaster area for the illness.
The statewide proclamation enables the Illinois Department of Public Health to plan logistics to support the delivery of vaccinations as well as efforts at treatment and prevention. Additionally, the proclamation will assist in coordinating state and federal responses.
Democrat Scott Wiener of San Francisco, a state senator, praised Newsom for his decision after pushing for the governor to make such a statement.
“The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it,” Wiener said.
The declaration made by Newsom enables emergency medical staff to give federally-approved monkeypox vaccinations.
The Newsom administration said that this is comparable to a recent law that permits pharmacists to deliver immunizations. According to the statement, the state’s reaction includes expanding on the methods established during the coronavirus pandemic to establish immunization clinics and ensure outreach to susceptible people in collaboration with local and community-based organizations.
California has received about 61,000 doses of the vaccine and has given out over 25,000 doses.
“We don’t have any time to waste,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement. She said the nation’s most-populous county must use all available resources to speed the distribution of vaccines and help to those who have been infected.
Los Angeles County has a separate distribution of vaccine, according to Newsom’s office.
The state has increased its testing capacity as of last week to handle more than 1,000 exams per week. The lengthy wait for test results, according to critics, delayed treatment possibilities.
Following the clinic’s closure last week due to a lack of doses, Peter Tran was one of hundreds who waited in line, at times for hours, to receive the monkeypox vaccination at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Monday.
“It’s horrible. Like this is a vaccine that’s been out for such a long time. And like, it’s not even a deadly disease. It’s harder to transmit than COVID. But the rollout of the vaccines throughout this nation is absolutely horrible,” Tran said.
“I think the science shows that protection is greatly improved with the vaccine. So that’s why I’m doing it. And I honestly just don’t want the lesions on my body. I heard the lesions are painful and leave scarring. So I think that’s another motivation to go out and get it.”
Before announcing their own state of emergency last week, San Francisco municipal authorities came under fire for their slow response to the epidemic. They then accused the federal government of not providing adequate immunizations. According to Dr. Lukejohn Day, chief medical officer at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, the city got around 4,000 doses on Friday, allowing it to resume immunizations. By mid-week, it intends to start giving shots again.
As of Monday, there were 305 instances in the city, he added.
The epidemic of monkeypox that has affected more than 70 nations has been deemed a worldwide emergency by the World Health Organization.
On Tuesday, President Biden named top officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to serve as the White House coordinators to combat the growing outbreak.
Robert Fenton, who assisted in leading FEMA’s mass immunization campaign against COVID-19 while serving as the agency’s interim administrator when Mr. Biden first assumed office, was named by the president as the White House coordinator on Tuesday, according to the White House. Dr. Demetre Daskalakis of the CDC will be his deputy.
In the past, Daskalakis, the director of the organization’s HIV prevention section and a recognized authority on matters impacting the LGBTQ community, assisted in directing the COVID-19 response in New York City.