California and Illinois Declare Monkeypox a State of Emergency

On Monday, California and Illinois joined New York in declaring monkeypox a state of emergency. California currently has 827 cases while Illinois has 520.

Both governors acknowledged that the declarations will allow them to mobilize testing sites and vaccines, and loosen guidelines for who can administer the jabs.

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker said that although catching monkeypox is rare, he made the declaration anyway so that the government could mobilize resources and begin vaccinations immediately.

This means devoting more resources to testing opportunities and vaccinations, including who can administer them, and accessing funds designated for emergencies, according to NPR.

California Governor Gavin Newsom said in his press release:

”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.”

Newsom, like New York Governor Kathy Hochul, pointed to how he handled covid as his precedent for handling monkeypox. 

New York has 1,390 cases while there are currently 5,811 cases reported nationwide.

Join The Discussion

Related Posts
Total
1
Share