Gov. Gavin Newsom declares state of emergency for Monkeypox
SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday declared a state of emergency for Monkeypox in order to bolster the state's vaccination efforts, according to the Governor's Office.
“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,” said Newsom.
“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.”
The declaration of a state of emergency allows the California Department of Public Health and other administration officials to coordinate a 'whole-of-government' response to the Monkeypox virus, seek additional vaccines, and lead outreach and education efforts, the Governor's Office said.
"The state’s response to monkeypox builds on the infrastructure developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to deploy vaccine clinics and ensure inclusive and targeted outreach in partnership with local and community-based organizations," the office said in a statement on Monday.
It allows emergency medical services personnel to administer vaccines that are approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
The state has distributed more than 25,000 Monkeypox vaccine doses as of Monday and will make additional allocations in the coming days and weeks. The state is also supporting vaccination efforts in collaboration with locals, including providing staffing and mobile clinics, according to the Governor's Office.
As of Friday, the state had expanded its testing capacity to process more than 1,000 tests a week, and has been working with local public health, academic, and commercial laboratories to ensure that testing capacity is increasingly available.
The first local case of Monkeypox was reported in Ventura County on July 22.
