People wait in line to register for monkeypox vaccination on July 29, 2022 in New York City.
John Smith | Corbis News | beautiful pictures
New York Governor Kathy Hochul declared a state of disaster emergency Friday night as monkeypox continued to spread.
She said declaring an emergency would lead to faster responses and better vaccine distribution. It comes a day after the New York State Health Commissioner declared monkeypox a “imminent threat to public health. “
“I am declaring a state disaster emergency to enhance our ongoing efforts to respond to the monkeypox epidemic,” Hochul tweeted Friday.
Hochul pointed out that the state is an emerging hub for the virus, which manifests itself as a rash and lesions throughout the body, extremities and genitals.
New York has recorded the most cases of the virus in the nation – 1,345 – followed by California with 799, according to Data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Last updated on Friday.
“More than a quarter of monkeypox cases in this country are in New York State, and we need to use every tool in our arsenal when responding,” Hochul wrote.
The state of emergency, enacted through an executive order, allows EMS staff, pharmacists, midwives, doctors and certified nurses to administer immunizations, the governor’s office said in a statement. .
The state is in the process of securing more vaccines, expanding testing and distributing information through its website and written notification system, the governor’s office said.
On Thursday, Hochul said a new federal government allocation would mean 110,000 additional doses of monkeypox vaccine to the state, for a total of 170,000 to date.
The Governor emphasized the importance of vaccinating neighborhoods and communities affected by the rapid spread.
“It is especially important to recognize the ways in which this outbreak is currently having a disproportionate impact on certain at-risk groups,” she said in a statement late Friday.
The virus, which is spread by physical contact, can develop flu-like symptoms, and its initial effects can last up to 4 weeks.
Because men who have sex with men are in the highest risk group for the virus, the World Health Organization on Wednesday recommended those in that group limit their number of sexual partners as a preventive measure.
According to the CDC, cases of monkeypox have been reported this year in 71 countries where it was previously unknown or unreported.
According to CDC data as of Friday, the US has recorded 5,189 cases this year.
On Thursday, the city of San Francisco declared its health emergency because of the virus.
