San Francisco’s monkeypox numbers are down, but a vaccine is still in demand

SAN FRANCISCO – After almost three months of an epidemic, the number of monkeypox infections in San Francisco is steadily declining. Although there is hope, state and local leaders are cautiously calling on the federal government to issue more vaccines in a fair manner, both in San Francisco and throughout California.

Fewer than five new cases of monkeypox were reported in San Francisco last week, according to data from the San Francisco Public Health Department. The virus peaked with 143 new cases in the week starting 24 July.

Senator Alex Padilla, a California Democrat, said these preliminary numbers were promising but not indicators of slowing the rollout of a vaccine. Padilla said at a press conference in San Francisco on Thursday that California still needs about 800,000 doses of vaccine from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

“One thing I’ve heard overwhelmingly loud and clear from people here, and from health agencies and communities across California, is that we can’t give up. Recent numbers are encouraging. but we have to do more.

According to Padilla, monkeypox, like the COVID-19 pandemic, continues to disproportionately affect communities of color across the state and country. Monkeypox is different in that it is not a new disease, and the Gynneos vaccine, which was originally created for smallpox, has proven effective in preventing its spread.

“The number of cases is rising, but vaccine supplies are in short supply, while LGBTQ Californians, especially people of color, feel forgotten. You hear it everywhere you go. , that is totally unacceptable,” Padilla said. “If nothing else is learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, the sustained period of limited vaccine availability early in the public health crisis is a recipe for disaster.”

As of Thursday, more than 21,500 doses of the monkeypox vaccine had been administered in San Francisco, according to city data. San Francisco’s health director, Dr. Grant Colfax, said that as hundreds of people are queuing to get vaccinated at every available clinic in the city, what needs to be done to meet the demand. said there are still many.

The city has received 22,000 doses from the federal stockpile, 13,000 less than the amount originally requested by the city’s public health department. Stated.

“We urgently urged our state and federal partners to provide the resources needed to stop the further spread of monkeypox. We face the possibility of continuing to harm people as much as possible, the future,” Colfax said.

Colfax said health departments have learned from the COVID-19 pandemic to be more flexible in their outreach and vaccination efforts. The department works with both community-related resources, such as the Mission Neighborhood Health Center and the San Francisco Latino Task Force, and well-known health care providers, such as Kaiser Permanente and the University of California, San Francisco, to retain members and non-members. I’m here. We have access to vaccines.

“We have a system to weaponize more vaccines as quickly as possible. To get it, we need more vials,” Colfax said.

It took 78 days for the Biden administration to declare monkeypox a public health emergency after the first case was reported in the United States in May. Federal public health leaders said they were unable to act quickly enough to prevent this epidemic from worsening, despite their resources, knowledge and expertise.

“We missed the beginning of the window.As you can see, unlike any emerging public health crisis in our country, there was a baseline. ,” said TerMeer.

TerMeer said he hears powerful, heartbreaking stories every day about how the virus is affecting the LGBTQ+ community and the underserved. Those who recover from the infection will feel the lasting effects of social isolation, economic insecurity and stigma “beyond the physical scars that last a lifetime.”

“We need action. We need a vaccine. We need to cut off all the remaining bureaucratic red tape that continues to harm our communities,” TerMeer said.