As of July 27, 261 people had confirmed or suspected monkeypox infections, with health officials warning the number is likely to rise. Mayor London Breed tweeted: “San Francisco is declaring a local public health emergency for monkeypox. “This declaration will take effect on August 1st and will allow us to prepare and dedicate resources to prevent the spread. “This virus affects everyone, but our LGBTQ community is seeing significant cases and we need action, we need more vaccines.” The emergency declaration includes measures such as: • Mobilizing city resources • Speeding up emergency planning • Streamlining city staff • Coordinating agencies across the city • Raising awareness of how everyone can stop the spread of monkeypox San Francisco Health Commissioner Susan Phillips said, “We want the flexibility to be able to use our resources to better serve the public and protect health. “We also want to reaffirm our commitment to the health of our LGBTQ communities in San Francisco, as we have historically always done as a city,” she added, referring to the population most affected by monkeypox so far. Read more: Gay men advised to limit number of partners to slow spread of disease Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 2:13 Monkey pox has been declared a global health emergency Ms Breed also offered support to members of the LGBTQ community who are “fearful and frustrated”, assuring them that the local state of emergency “will allow us to continue to support the most at-risk while also better preparing for what’s to come.” . San Francisco has reportedly received about 8,200 doses of the Jynneos vaccine, which is intended to prevent monkeypox and smallpox in adults. However, Ms. Breed said in a written statement: “A few weeks ago, the San Francisco Department of Public Health requested 35,000 vaccines to begin getting those most at risk of contracting the virus. “So far, in the last three weeks, we have only received a third of that request. Use Chrome browser for more accessible video player 14:32 Monkeypox: Your questions have been answered “This is not nearly enough, and the reality is that we will need far more than 35,000 vaccines to protect our LGBTQ community and slow the spread of this virus. “We know there’s a shortage of vaccines across the country, but still, those vaccines need to be distributed quickly to places like San Francisco that have a disproportionate rate of cases.”
