California authorities expand vaccination against monkeypox

California Governor Gavin Newsom has declared a state of emergency in the state due to an increase in monkeypox. Vaccination stations are opening throughout the region. In West Hollywood began its work one of such stations, in a day there can be vaccinated against monkeypox up to two hundred people. The only way to get it is to sign up in advance.

“I got vaccinated because I don’t want to get sick. I hope that I can take the shot easily, and I will not feel tired, they say it has such a side effect. The number of infections is increasing, it’s better to be reassured,” said West Hollywood resident Taylor, who was vaccinated at the center.

“I go to the gym a lot, and hygiene is not good for everyone, so I decided I should get vaccinated for monkeypox. Many of my friends have already been vaccinated because they are at risk,” said another West Hollywood resident, Ashlon.

An application to open a similar station was sent to the Los Angeles Department of Health by the West Hollywood mayor’s office.

“The main reason the vaccination station opened in West Hollywood is because, that’s where a lot of smallpox infections have been reported, and those people had to travel for hours to other areas to get tested or vaccinated,” said West Hollywood City Councilman John Erickson – who was involved in opening the station.

“As we know, monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease, but it is often contracted by men whose sexual partners are men, which is why a center like this opened here, because West Hollywood has a large LGBTQ community,” Erickson says.

Monkeypox is transmitted through direct bodily contact. More than a thousand cases have been reported in California so far: 400 in Los Angeles, although a week ago, 200 people there were infected with monkeypox, which means the number of cases has doubled. The same is true in San Francisco, where queues have formed for vaccination against monkeypox. But there aren’t enough doses for everyone who wants them yet.

“Based on data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, San Francisco should have about 35,000 to 40,000 residents vaccinated against monkeypox. That’s the number of doses we’ve requested, but unfortunately, the actual numbers are far from what we need,” says Luke Day, chief medical officer of the San Francisco hospital.

The vaccination station in West Hollywood will be open until the end of August. The Los Angeles Health Department hopes to be able to vaccinate thousands of West Hollywood residents. At the same time, experts warn that if the disease continues to spread with the same speed, it will affect other communities.

At the moment, it is known that in the U.S., this infection is detected at least five children, two of whom live in California. In all, about 7,000 cases of monkeypox have been reported in the United States.