The declaration, which takes effect Monday, is a legal action that allows city agencies to mobilize and coordinate more effectively, Mayor London Breed’s office said in a statement. It also allows for future reimbursement from state and federal governments.
“We need to be prepared and this declaration will allow us to better serve the city,” said Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax. “Our response to COVID-19 has taught us that it is imperative to mobilize the city’s resources. The statement helps ensure we have all the tools available to strengthen our outreach, testing and treatment, especially for LGBTQ+ which are at highest risk for monkeypox.”
Dr. added. Susan Phillip, San Francisco Public Health Officer, “We have always been at the forefront of LGBTQ+ health advocacy and action, and I am issuing this statement to reaffirm our commitment to the well-being of these communities and allow us to move faster to obtain and distribute the resources needed to help those disproportionately affected.”
The San Francisco Department of Public Health has confirmed 261 cases of monkeypox in the city, while California has a total of 799 cases.
In New York, the state’s Health Commissioner Dr. Mary T. Bassett declared an imminent threat to public health, citing the rapid spread of the virus.
“This statement means that local health departments engaged in response and prevention activities will be able to access additional reimbursements from the state, after other federal and state funding sources are maximized, to protect all New Yorkers and limit the spread of the virus.” monkey pox in our communities’. she said in a statement.
New York has 1,247 possible or confirmed cases of monkeypox, according to data from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The state has received more than 60,000 doses of the Jynneos monkeypox vaccine, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services says.
San Francisco’s health department requested 35,000 doses to meet the overwhelming demand there, but said it had received only 12,000 doses as of Thursday. About 4,220 more are expected this week, the mayor’s office said.
In Seattle, King County health officials say they have received only 4,720 doses of Jynneos. This is only 6% of the 80,000 doses they would like to have to cover the 40,000 people at increased or high risk of monkeypox.
Jynneos works best when given in two doses at least four weeks apart, but with growing demand and limited supply, some jurisdictions have focused on getting the first doses now and finding second doses later.
HHS says 338,000 vaccine doses have been delivered across the country. The US Food and Drug Administration has approved an additional 786,000 doses of the Jynneos vaccine, and jurisdictions can place orders starting Friday.
In Washington, the federal government continues to monitor the monkeypox response and will use it to consider whether to declare the outbreak a public health emergency, HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra said Thursday.
“What I can tell you is that we continue to monitor the response across the country for monkeypox,” he said. “We have made vaccines, tests and treatments far beyond the numbers currently required available in all jurisdictions that operate their public health systems.
“We will weigh any decision to declare a public health emergency based on the responses we see across the country. The bottom line is that we have to stay ahead of this and be able to end this outbreak.”
CNN’s Virginia Langmaid contributed to this report.
