California Declares State Of Emergency As Monkeypox Cases Near 800

SACRAMENTO, CA — California on Monday declared a state of emergency as it nears 800 monkeypox cases, and the declaration allows the government to speed efforts to combat the outbreak.

California became the second state in three days to declare a state of emergency. Gov. Gavin Newsom said the declaration supports the work underway by the state Department of Public Health and others to coordinate their response to the virus outbreak, seek more vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment.

“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. “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.”

Newsom said the state of emergency will allow emergency medical service personnel to administer vaccines, similar to the statutory authorization recently enacted that allows pharmacists to administer vaccines. The state's monkeypox response will use the same infrastructure developed during the coronavirus pandemic to deploy vaccine clinics, Newsom said, and ensure outreach is targeted and inclusive in partnership with local and community-based organizations.

The monkeypox virus spreads through prolonged and close skin-to-skin contact, such as hugging, cuddling and kissing, as well as through the sharing of bedding, towels and clothing. People getting sick so far have mainly been men who have sex with men, though health officials note that the virus can infect anyone.

People rarely die after contracting the type of monkeypox virus in this outbreak, and they typically recover within weeks. Patients typically develop painful lesions and blisters that can prevent swallowing or bowel movements if in the throat or anus.

The World Health Organization has declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries a global emergency.

The declaration in California comes after a similar one in New York on Saturday.

San Francisco declared a public health state of emergency Thursday in response to increasing cases across the city. The city has reported at least 310 suspected and confirmed cases as of Monday, and those figures look to climb in the coming weeks. Los Angeles County recorded 400 total confirmed cases as of Monday.

California has recorded 786 cases as of July 28. Last month, public health leaders in California urged the federal government to make more vaccine doses available to the state so it can expand eligibility to both confirmed and probable exposures, as well as to people who are at high-risk of contracting the virus.

In all, the state has received more than 61,000 doses, and it has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses. California plans to make additional allocations in the coming days and weeks. Los Angeles County has received a separate allocation of vaccine.

The state is also helping local public health departments with staffing and mobile clinics.

As of Thursday, the state was processing more than 1,000 monkeypox tests a week. The state’s public health laboratory.

Access to the antiviral prescription drug tecovirimat, used to treat monkeypox, remains limited, but can now be administered at more than 30 facilities and providers in California.

The Associated Press contributed reporting.