NEW YORK (WABC) — Governor Kathy Hochul has declared a “disaster emergency” in New York State in response to the monkeypox outbreak.
“After reviewing the latest data on the monkeypox outbreak in New York State, I am declaring a state disaster emergency to bolster our ongoing aggressive efforts to address this outbreak,” Governor Hochul said . “More than one in four smallpox cases in this country is in New York State, and we need to use every tool in our arsenal as we respond,” Hochul said.
New York’s health commissioner has declared the monkeypox outbreak an “imminent threat” and issued an urgent message to the gay community, saying health officials should “sound the alarm” on Friday 1 from New York.
“The vast majority of cases are being spread through sexual contact, and the vast majority of cases (are) among men who have sex with men,” said Dr. Mary Bassett. “This is the community we both want to protect from stigma and also raise the alarm.”
New York City, the epicenter of the outbreak in the United States, is receiving 80,000 doses of the vaccine, but some say that is not enough.
A joint statement from State Senator Brad Hoylman; US Rep. Jerry Nadler; State Assembly members Deborah Glick, Dick Gottfried, Linda Rosenthal; and City Councilor Erik Bottcher asked Mayor Eric Adams to declare a state of emergency.
“New York is in the midst of another health emergency that shows no signs of abating,” the statement said. “Since the first case of monkeypox was confirmed on May 18, the number of verified cases of smallpox in New York has increased to 1,341, more than 25% of all cases nationally, and continues to grow. L ‘New York State and New York City should each act. now.’
The statement goes on to say that the declaration of an “imminent threat to public health” was important and necessary, but not sufficient to recognize and combat the severity of the virus.
“A state and local emergency declaration will help facilitate disaster response efforts by reducing red tape that prevents the effective and rapid distribution of tests, treatments and vaccines,” the statement said. “For example, the declaration could speed up the approval processes for new tests and treatments, as well as the procurement and contracting processes needed to provide tests, treatments and vaccines to New Yorkers.”
Officials said the call to action is even more urgent given the resumption of classes next month for New York’s 1.1 million college and university students.
As of Friday, 1,289 people have tested positive for orthopoxvirus in New York City, meaning they are suspected cases of monkeypox.
NYC Monkeypox Case Numbers:
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Adams said he is awaiting a decision from the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, on whether to declare a smallpox emergency.
Dr. Vasan tells Eyewitness News he is still considering declaring a state of emergency, while calling on the federal government to declare a public health emergency.
He said he commends the state health commissioner for the “imminent threat” declaration.
“We still have a chance to slow this thing down, if we can get guns fired as soon as possible,” he said.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy sent President Joe Biden a letter calling for more vaccines, citing the state’s proximity to New York and lessons learned during the coronavirus about viruses that don’t respect state borders.
“We do not believe New Jersey has received an equitable percentage of available vaccine through this allocation strategy,” Murphy and Health Commissioner Judith Persichilli wrote in their letter. “I would like to request that HHS and CDC reconsider the allocation strategy and increase New Jersey’s vaccine allocation to take into account the size of our population and the considerations raised in this letter.”
Meanwhile, Connecticut announced it will have 15 primary vaccination sites starting Monday, distributing 800 doses.
Applicants must identify as a gay or bisexual male with possible exposure within the past 14 days.
Connecticut has identified 28 cases, all in men.
The United States has more than 4,600 total cases of monkeypox, about a third of them in New York state.
The Biden administration is also considering declaring monkeypox a public health emergency, following in the footsteps of the World Health Organization.
RELATED | LGBTQ activists are calling on Biden to address the rapid rise in monkeypox cases
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