After San Francisco and New York City declared health emergencies last week along with New York state, California and Illinois have followed suit. The White House is expected to announce a national monkeypox coordinator and deputy Tuesday.

According to NBC News:

The governors’ proclamation will accelerate the administration of vaccines, the work of contact tracing, and prevention efforts, officials said.

The White House on Monday night bolstered its footing against the virus by confirming Bob Fenton and Demetre Daskalakis will be announced Tuesday as national monkeypox coordinator and as deputy, respectively.

Fenton helped lead the country’s mass vaccination effort for Covid-19 as the Federal Emergency Management Agency acting administrator. Daskalakis is director of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s HIV prevention division.

The day’s moves follow declarations of emergency last week in New York state, New York City and San Francisco.

California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office said in a statement Monday that his move would bring to the fight “a whole-of-government response” that will help fund vaccination outreach and research.

“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,” he said.

The proclamation will allow emergency medical services workers to administer monkeypox vaccines, the governor’s office said.

In Illinois, Pritzker said in a statement that his declaration will likewise give the Department of Public Health the full power of the state to distribute vaccines and to inform the public about the virus.

The Illinois declaration gives the state the ability to procure vaccines on an urgent basis, the governor’s office said.

Keep reading at NBC News.

(Visited 2,772 times, 1 visits today)