The declaration was handed down to “bolster the state’s vaccination efforts.“
QUICK FACTS:
- California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) has today proclaimed a State of Emergency to “bolster the state’s vaccination efforts” in response to the state’s monkeypox outbreak.
- The proclamation is said to support the efforts being made by the California Department of Public Health to coordinate an all-government response to monkeypox.
- The governor’s announcement also outlined the state’s plan to “seek additional vaccines and lead outreach and education efforts on accessing vaccines and treatment.”
- California public health officials have already requested that federal partners provide the state with more vaccine doses as soon as possible.
- As of July 28, California was believed to have 786 cases of Monkeypox.
NEWSOM’S STATEMENT:
“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 Governor 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 governor said.
BACKGROUND:
- Thus far, the state of California has distributed more than 25,000 vaccine doses as the state used its “infrastructure developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to deploy vaccine clinics,” according to the governor’s office.
- The state has received more than 61,000 doses of the vaccine and is supporting vaccination efforts with state and local officials, allocating doses based on risk factors, including targeting the populations believed to be at-risk.
