New York State Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett has declared monkeypox an “imminent threat to public health.” ABC News reports that “local health departments engaged in [monkeypox] response and prevention activities will be able to access additional State reimbursement.”
To address the concerns of Bassett and other health officials across the Empire State, the Biden administration has distributed an additional 110,000 monkeypox vaccine doses across New York. Of those 110,000 vaccine doses, approximately 80,000 will be given to the city of New York and another 30,000 will be spread across the rest of the state.
“With more than one-quarter of all cases in the U.S., New Yorkers, and especially our LGBTQ+ community, remain among the hardest-hit. We will continue to advocate to the federal government for our fair share of vaccines based on the disease burden impacting New York,” New York Governor Kath Hochul stated.
“My team and I have been working around the clock to confront the monkeypox outbreak and keep New Yorkers safe, and we will continue our ongoing efforts to secure more vaccines, expand testing capacity, and educate the public on how to identify symptoms and protect themselves.”
The additional vaccine doses will go a long way as the state of New York continues to battle the infectious disease. According to recent reports, New York has recorded 1,341 confirmed monkeypox cases as of July 28, 2022. In comparison to the rest of the country, New York accounts for nearly one-third of the monkeypox cases recorded in the U.S.
