Hudson Valley 2nd In NY For Monkeypox

HUDSON VALLEY, NY — The Hudson Valley has the second-highest number of monkeypox cases in New York — with Westchester alone, with a population of less than 1 million, almost outpacing Long Island, whose two counties have 2.8 million residents, though far behind New York City, which has 18 million residents.

In addition, the state continues to grapple with a shortage of vaccines, officials said Monday.

There have been 3,180 cases reported in New York State as of Aug. 22, according to the most recentstate data; 102 of them are in the Hudson Valley.

• NYC: 2,964
• Westchester County: 75
• Suffolk County: 43
• Nassau County: 34
• Dutchess County: 8
• Orange County: 8
• Rockland County: 7
• Putnam County: 2
• Ulster County: 2

New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul said at a news conference Monday, is the epicenter for monkeypox not just in the nation but the world.

The current challenge in dealing with it is the shortage of vaccination doses, she said.

State health officials will follow a recent emergency use authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Association allowing one-fifth the vaccine dose to be administered through a different route, intradermally, rather than subcutaneously, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett confirmed during the Monday briefing.

An intradermal injection is administered into a layer of skin and a subcutaneous, below the layer of skin. The reason a small dose can be used is because the area where the injection is introduced intradermally has more immunogenicity, meaning the lesser dosage will provide the same outcome.

The transition to the new dose-bearing strategy will begin Aug. 29, Bassett said.

New York has received 28,000 vials of the vaccine, with another 3,560 on the way; New York State, in recognition of New York City being the "true hotspot," has reallocated 6,000 doses to the city, Bassett said.

Hochul said she will continue to advocate to the federal government for additional vials.
When asked if the intradermal vaccinations were as effective, Bassett said they were but added that they are not as pleasant and can cause scarring and pain. While she would have preferred the subcutaneous injections, Bassett said: "We have been struggling with not having enough doses. Our obligation is to do the most good for the most people and intradermal injections will vastly expand our access to this scarce resource."

Supply chain shortages have affected the number of dosages, Hochul said.

Monkeypox was declared an imminent threat to public health in New York State on July 28; the federal government also called a state of emergency, and the World Health Organizaton, on July 23, called monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.

All data on monkeypox will now be available on the state Department of Health website, Bassett said. By far, most of those contracting monkeypox are men who identify as gay or have sex with men, she said.

Data indicates that New York is "right to be concerned about" vaccine equity, Bassett said, adding that the deficit of the vaccines, especially in regard to Black men, needs to be addressed.

Although monkeypox is rarely fatal, it is "unpleasant and painful," Bassett said. It's important, she said, to speak with sexual partners about rashes or symptoms and avoid skin-to-skin contact with anyone exhibiting symptoms.

Also, she said, a rash must be present before a diagnosis is received.

New York State has greatly expanded access to monkeypox testing, she said. In addition, efforts are underway to ensure access to the antiviral tecovirimat, or TPOXX.

A juvenile in New York State has also been diagnosed with monkeypox, Bassett said.

Still, Bassett said she is not concerned about monkeypox spreading at schools; monkeypox may be contracted by a young person with gay parents at home, she added.

"Very, very few cases" of juveniles have been diagnosed nationally — under a dozen, Hochul said.

With more than 15,000 cases diagnosed nationally, the majority are in young, Black men, Bassett said. "The school setting is not a setting I'm concerned about," she said.

However, both she and Hochul said, teenagers do have sex, so it's important to educate teens about safety in school. Educators and schools need to know what to do if someone has been exposed to, or diagnosed with, monkeypox, they said.

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