NEW YORK (PIX11) — As the monkeypox outbreak shows no sign of slowing in New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a state disaster emergency on Friday.
Hochul said this will allow the state to respond promptly and strengthen the ongoing efforts to confront monkeypox, as nearly 1,400 cases were reported in New York on Friday. Nearly 1,300 of those cases are in New York City.
The executive order expands who is eligible to administer the vaccines, which includes EMS personnel, pharmacists and midwives. It lets physicians and nurse practitioners issue non-patient-specific standing orders for vaccines. It also requires providers to send vaccine data to the state’s Health Department.
More than one in four cases nationwide are in New York State, and recently, the state’s health commissioner declared monkeypox an imminent threat to public health.
Officials said most cases are being spread by sexual contact with an infected person. In New York, it’s mainly spreading among men who have sex with men, who community officials also want to protect from stigma.
Earlier this week, officials said the state would get 110,000 additional doses of the monkeypox vaccine, bringing the grand total to 170,000 doses.
