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The governor of California declared a state of emergency on Monday to speed up efforts to stop the spread of monkeypox. This is the second state in three days to do this.
Gov. Gavin Newsom said that the declaration will help California coordinate a government-wide response, get more vaccines, and lead outreach and education efforts about where people can get treatment and vaccinations.
In a statement announcing his declaration, Newsom said, "We'll keep working with the federal government to get more vaccines, spread the word about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community in the fight against stigmatization."
Officials in charge of public health in California say that there have been almost 800 cases of monkeypox.
The monkeypox virus spreads through long, close skin-to-skin contact, like when people hug, kiss, or cuddle. It can also spread through sharing bedding, towels, and clothes. So far, most of the sick people have been men who have sex with other men. However, health officials say that anyone can get sick from this virus.
“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 type of monkeypox virus found in this outbreak rarely kills people, and most people get better in a few weeks. But the sores and blisters that the virus makes are painful, and if they are in the throat or anus, they can make it hard to swallow or go to the bathroom.
On Saturday, the same thing was said in New York state, and on Thursday, the same thing was said in San Francisco. Even as recently as Friday, Newsom's office said it was too soon to make such a claim.
After pressing for Newsom to make such a declaration, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco hailed the governor’s decision.
“The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency, and we need to use every tool we have to control it,” Wiener said.
With Newsom's proclamation, federally-approved monkeypox vaccines can be given by people who work in emergency medical services.
The administration of Newsom said that was like a new law that lets pharmacists give vaccines. It said that the state's response builds on the steps that were taken during the coronavirus pandemic to set up vaccination clinics and work with local and community-based groups to reach out to vulnerable groups.
California has gotten more than 61,000 doses of vaccines and given out more than 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.
Newsom’s office said Los Angeles County has received a separate allocation of vaccine.
As of last week, the state was able to do more than 1,000 tests a week, which is more than it could do before. Critics have said that the long time it took to get test results limited the choices for treatment.
Peter Tran was one of hundreds of people who waited in line for hours at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital on Monday to get the monkeypox vaccine. The clinic had to close last week because it did not have enough vaccines.
“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 be transmitted 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 San Francisco city officials declared their own emergency last week, they were criticized for not responding quickly enough to the outbreak. In turn, they blamed the government for not sending enough vaccines. Dr. Lukejohn Day, the chief medical officer at the Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, said that the city got about 4,000 doses of the vaccine on Friday. This means that vaccinations can be given again, and the city hopes to do so by the middle of the week.
He said that as of Monday, the city had 305 cases.
The spread of monkeypox in more than 70 countries has been called a global emergency by the World Health Organization.
