Monkeypox: NY governor declares state ‘disaster emergency’ over virus

ALBANY, N.Y. — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency late Friday over the continued spread of monkeypox, followed Saturday by a public health emergency declaration in New York City.

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Hochul’s declaration, which she said would provide swifter response and more efficient vaccination distribution, came one day after the New York State Commissioner of Health declared monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health,” NBC News reported.

“I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our ongoing efforts to confront the monkeypox outbreak,” Hochul tweeted Friday.

The executive order specifically extends the pool of eligible individuals who can administer monkeypox vaccines, including EMS personnel, pharmacists and midwives. It also allows physicians and certified nurse practitioners to issue non-patient-specific standing orders for vaccines and requires providers to send vaccine data to the state health department, according to The Journal News.

Hochul also noted that more than one-quarter of all diagnosed U.S. monkeypox cases are concentrated in New York, impacting “at-risk groups” at a disproportionate rate.

Monkeypox typically begins with flu-like symptoms and swelling of the lymph nodes before progressing to a rash or lesions across the body, extremities and genitals, NBC News reported.

Most infections last two to four weeks, KSDK reported.

Per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “early data suggest that gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men make up a high number of cases. However, anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.”

As of 2 p.m. Friday, New York had confirmed 1,345 monkeypox cases, followed by California with 799 and Illinois with 419, according to the CDC. U.S. cases totaled 5,189.

According to The Journal News, 780,000 monkeypox vaccine doses were distributed Friday, roughly 110,000 of were dispatched to New York, including 30,000 doses to be administered outside New York City.

Meanwhile, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Dr. Ashwin Vasan, the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene commissioner, declared a public health emergency specific to the city.

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