California is the third and largest state to issue a statewide advisory regarding the disease. New York was the first to do so. California’s move allows emergency medical personnel statewide to administer FDA-approved monkeypox vaccines, expanding the pool of people who can vaccinate residents against the virus even as vaccine shortages insists. “Expanding the pool of eligible vaccinees will substantially aid current efforts and support anticipated further vaccination efforts after additional doses are received by the federal government,” the proclamation said. “California is working urgently at 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 those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and information,” he said. Gavin Newsom said in a press release. Illinois’ declaration will also allocate more resources to fight the virus, Gov. JB Pritzker said. Chicago and state public health agencies announced Illinois’ first suspected case on June 2. “I am declaring a state of emergency to expand the resources and coordination efforts of state agencies to address, treat and prevent the spread of MPV,” Pritzker tweeted. . “In Illinois, we will ensure our LGBTQ+ community has the resources they need to stay safe while ensuring members are not stigmatized as they access critical health care.” Monkeypox is a smallpox virus, related to smallpox, that usually causes pimples or blistering lesions, as well as flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, muscle aches, chills and respiratory symptoms, according to the CDC. The virus can spread to anyone through close, often skin-to-skin contact, according to the CDC. It is also possible for humans to catch monkeypox from infected animals. California has received more than 61,000 vaccine doses so far and distributed more than 25,000, according to the governor’s news release. Los Angeles County has received its own allotment of vaccine, and state officials said California will make additional distributions in the coming weeks. Last week, San Francisco became the first major US city to declare a local health emergency for monkeypox. “We will continue to work with the federal government to secure more vaccines, raise awareness about risk reduction, and stand with the LGBTQ community to fight stigma,” the California governor said. California is using testing, contact tracing and vaccine infrastructure built for the Covid-19 pandemic to respond to monkeypox outbreaks, Newsom’s office said. The CDC has made the antiviral prescription drug tecovirimat available for monkeypox patients at risk of severe disease, but access is limited in California. Now, the treatment can be administered at more than 30 facilities and providers across the state, officials said. California has also expanded its monkeypox testing capacity and can process more than 1,000 tests a week, according to Newsom. The state’s first case of smallpox was reported on May 21 and involved someone who had traveled abroad. There are now suspected or confirmed cases of monkeypox in 27 different local health jurisdictions, including one case involving a young child. In mid-July, the California health department requested 600,000 to 800,000 additional doses of monkeypox vaccine to expand eligibility to both confirmed and probable exposures, as well as to high-risk individuals. The health department “hopes the federal government will deliver additional vaccine to meet the state’s request,” it said in a press release Friday. As of last week, the US Department of Health and Human Services had delivered more than 336,000 doses of Jynneos — an FDA-approved vaccine created for smallpox and monkeypox — from the strategic national stockpile. Health authorities across the country have focused on educational efforts to inform Americans about how monkeypox is spread. Monkeypox, according to the CDC, can be spread through “respiratory secretions” and by touching objects contaminated with monkeypox lesions or fluids. Many of the cases in the latest outbreak appear to be linked to sex, but monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease. A large number of cases in this outbreak have been in men who have sex with men, including gay and bisexual men, and public health officials are focusing their prevention efforts on this group. The virus is not unique to this community, but the nature of its close contact spread has led to a disproportionate impact. “Our team is also committed to reducing the stigma among the LGBTQ community, which has been singled out and treated unfairly because of this outbreak. No one person or community is responsible for the spread of any virus. Monkey pox can affect anyone as it spreads. skin-to-skin contact, as well as from sharing items such as clothing, bedding and towels,” California Public Health Director Dr. Tomás Aragón said in a statement Friday. After California declared a state of emergency, Equality California, a major LGBT rights nonprofit, applauded the governor’s move, noting in a statement that the virus “continues to disproportionately affect gay, bisexual and queer men here in California and across the country.” Earlier Monday, state Sen. Scott Wiener, who represents San Francisco, and members of the LGBTQ group called on Newsom to issue $38.5 million in emergency appropriations to support the local monkeypox response. CNN’s Andi Babineau and Cheri Mossburg contributed to this report.
