Newsom said the declaration will help California coordinate a whole-of-government response and pursue more vaccines.
Foto:
JOSH EDELSON / AFP / Getty Images
The California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency to accelerate efforts to combat the monkeypox outbreakbecoming the second state in three days to take the step and the measure was also applied in Illinois.
Newsom said the declaration will help California coordinate a whole-of-government response, pursue more vaccines, and lead outreach and education efforts about where people can get treatment and vaccinations.
“We will continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about risk reduction, and support the LGBTQ community in fighting stigma,” Newsom said. it’s a statement.
Nearly 800 cases of monkeypox have been reported in California, according to state public health officials.
In Illinois, Jay Robert “JB” Pritzker said in a statement that his declaration will also give the Department of Public Health full power in the state to distribute vaccines. and inform the public about the virus.
The disease “requires the full mobilization of all available public health resources to prevent spread,” it said in the statement.
Illinois’ declaration gives the state the ability to procure vaccines on an urgent basis, the governor’s office said. The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged, close skin-to-skin contact, which can include hugging, petting and kissing, as well as by sharing bedding, towels, and clothing.
The people who have gotten sick so far have been mainly men who have sex with men, though health officials say the virus can infect anyone.
“Public health officials are clear: stigma is unacceptable and counterproductive to the public health response,” Michelle Gibbons, executive director of the California County Association of Health Executives, said in a statement.
“The fact is that monkeypox is transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact and by sharing objects like bedding or towels, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity.”
The type of monkeypox virus identified in this outbreak is rarely fatal, and people usually recover within weeks.
But the lesions and blisters caused by the virus are painful and can prevent swallowing or bowel movements if they are in the throat or anus.
The declaration in California came after similar ones in New York state on Saturday and in San Francisco on Thursday.
Newsom’s administration had said Friday that it was too early for such a statement.
The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries a global emergency.
After pushing for Newsom to make such a statement, Democratic state Sen. Scott Wiener of San Francisco praised the governor’s decision.
“The monkeypox outbreak is an emergency and we need to use all the tools we have to control it,” Wiener said.
Newsom’s proclamation allows emergency medical personnel to administer federally approved monkeypox vaccines.
Newsom noted that the state’s response builds on steps developed during the coronavirus pandemic to establish vaccination clinics and ensure that vulnerable populations are reached in cooperation with local and community organizations.
California has received more than 61,000 doses of vaccine and has distributed more than 25,000.
“We have no time to waste,” Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger said in a statement.
He said the nation’s most populous county must use all available resources to speed up vaccine distribution and help those who have been infected.
Newsom’s office said Los Angeles County received a separate allocation of vaccines.
As of last week, the state had expanded its capacity to process more than 1,000 tests per week. Critics have said that the long wait for test results delayed treatment options.
Before making their own emergency declaration last week, San Francisco city officials were criticized for not responding quickly enough to the outbreak. They, in turn, blamed the federal government for not delivering enough vaccine. The city received about 4,000 doses on Friday, allowing it to restart vaccinations and hopes to administer them by midweek, said Dr. Lukejohn Day, medical director of Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital.
The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries a global emergency.
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