Gov. Newsom declares California state of emergency over monkeypox outbreak
California Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency Monday evening in response to the worsening monkeypox outbreak.
The declaration was needed to “coordinate a whole-of-government response to monkeypox, seek additional vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment,” Newsom’s office said in a statement.
California had recorded 786 monkeypox cases as of Thursday, with nearly two-thirds concentrated in Los Angeles and San Francisco, according to the California Department of Public Health.
The World Health Organization on July 23 declared monkeypox a “public health emergency of international concern.”
“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” Newsom said in a statement.
Monkeypox causes a rash of blisters and flu-like symptoms, although it is rarely fatal. The disease spreads through close contact with an infected person or linens, like sheets and towels, that a person with monkeypox blisters has used.
Anyone can be infected with monkeypox, although it has primarily affected gay and bisexual men and transgender people in the United States and California.
California monkeypox response
Dr. Tomás Aragón, CDPH director and the state’s public health officer, on Friday said monkeypox vaccine doses are “very scarce” in California, although the state is working to acquire more from the federal government.
The state is sending more vaccine doses to communities that have the most cases, Aragón said.
Newsom’s declaration will allow Emergency Medical Services personnel to give monkeypox vaccines that have been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, “similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted for pharmacists to administer vaccines,” the release said.
Aragón stressed on Friday that leaders want to prevent the LGBTQ community from being further “singled out and treated unfairly” due to the monkeypox outbreak.
“No single individual or community is to blame for the spread of any virus,” he said.
Newsom echoed those sentiments on Monday.
“We’ll continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about reducing risk, and stand with the LGBTQ community fighting stigmatization,” he said in a statement.
Legislators push for more money to fight outbreak
State lawmakers have been calling for Newsom to declare a monkeypox state of emergency to make more resources available for the hardest-hit communities.
Newsom now adds another declaration to the list of emergencies he is already overseeing, including the statewide COVID-19 pandemic, the Oak Fire in Mariposa County and the McKinney Fire in Siskiyou County.
State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, has pushed for monkeypox emergencies in his city and at the state level. San Francisco officials on Thursday declared their own state of emergency to help facilitate the city’s response to the outbreak.
Wiener and other lawmakers also recently sent a letter to Newsom and legislative leaders asking for a $38.5 million emergency state budget appropriation “to support monkeypox response activities.”
On Monday, Wiener said he is “deeply grateful to Governor Newsom for recognizing the peril we face.”
“This declaration will help expand vaccination, testing, and other critical strategies around the outbreak,” Wiener said in a statement. “I look forward to working with the Governor and his Administration to combat this dangerous health situation.”
