Hochul declares 'disaster emergency' in monkeypox outbreak in New York

Gov. Kathy Hochul has declared a "disaster emergency" in response to the monkeypox outbreak, and Long Island doctors, pharmacists and LGBTQ leaders say it will make the vaccine more available to those who want it.

Hochul’s executive order late Friday, coming as the state has nearly 1,400 confirmed cases, extends the pool of who can administer the monkeypox vaccine to paramedics, pharmacists and midwives. Doctors and certified nurse practitioners can issue standing orders for vaccines and providers must submit vaccine data to the state Department of Health.

"After reviewing the latest data on the monkeypox outbreak in New York State, I am declaring a State Disaster Emergency to strengthen our aggressive ongoing efforts to confront this outbreak," Hochul said. "More than one in four monkeypox cases in this country are in New York State, and we need to utilize every tool in our arsenal as we respond."

Citing Hochul's declaration, New York City's health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, on Saturday signed a similar one for the city, declaring "a great and imminent peril" over an outbreak "hazardous to life and health." His signature unlocks power to bypass regular bureaucratic processes, issue emergency orders and further act "to prevent, mitigate, control and abate" the spread.

Similar declarations have been issued by the city during past outbreaks, including smaller ones like measles in 2019, and most prominently COVID-19 beginning in March 2020.

Vasan's declaration makes it easier to regulate businesses, streamline access to vaccines and treatment, provide services to men who have sex with men and shut down premises where the virus is spreading, and make legal challenges harder, said Lawrence Gostin, a Georgetown law professor and director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center on National & Global Health Law. 

Although anyone can get monkeypox, 98% or 99% of the cases in the current outbreak globally have been in men who have sex with men.

New York is set to receive more than 100,000 additional doses of monkeypox vaccine from the federal government, totaling 170,000 vaccines for the state, Hochul said. 

Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said Thursday that New York City was set to receive about 80,000 doses, with the rest of the state slated to get about 30,000 doses. In a statement, Schumer said “many” of those 30,000 doses would go to Long Island.

Long Island LGBTQ leaders praised the state for taking additional steps to help more people get vaccinated.

Expands access to vaccine

David Kilmnick, who leads the LGBT Network in Long Island and Queens, said the governor's declaration would create much-needed access to the vaccine, which up until now had been hard to get.

He added: "Having more health care professionals be able to administer the vaccine will get shots into the arms that need it the most. And just as important is to double down on prevention efforts and educate our community so that people can make more informed and healthier decisions."

In the past two weeks, the LGBT services organization PFY, formerly known as Pride for Youth, has driven about 30 of its clients to appointments for the monkeypox vaccine — and helped a dozen or two dozen more register, said director Devon Zappasodi.

Doctors and pharmacists echoed the praise.

"This is a good thing. New York is a hot spot," said Howard Jacobson, a pharmacist and owner of the Rockville Centre Pharmacy and the West Hempstead Pharmacy. 

Jacobson says he believes the distribution to pharmacies will be smoother than that of the coronavirus vaccines, since handling the COVID-19 vaccine has opened many channels of communication between pharmacies and the state.

Making the vaccine available to pharmacies will also bring it to communities where people don't have easy access to medical care, said Nidhin Mohan, owner of the New Island Pharmacy in Deer Park.

"Once the state Department of Health announces how we get it, we'll be the first on line," he said. 

State Health Commissioner Mary T. Bassett has declared monkeypox an imminent threat to public health and has focused on increasing vaccinations in New York City and on Fire Island.

29 confirmed cases on LI

Suffolk County, which the state said has 19 confirmed cases, and other local health departments have received vaccines to establish vaccine appointments, clinics and scheduling.

Suffolk spokeswoman Marykate Guilfoyle said vaccine efforts were focused on Fire Island, a gay vacation spot. As more doses are available, she said, clinics will continue to offer the vaccine in Hampton Bays, Bay Shore, and on Fire Island, "with new locations possible.”

In Nassau County, officials say there are 10 confirmed cases.

Monkeypox is a rare disease and part of the same family of viruses that causes smallpox, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms include fever, headache, exhaustion, swollen lymph nodes and a rash that looks like pimples or blisters. The disease is not usually fatal, the CDC said, but people who are pregnant, those with weakened immune systems and children under the age of 8 may be more likely to get seriously ill or die.

Dr. Bruce Farber, chief of public health and epidemiology at Northwell Health, said most New Yorkers didn't need to worry about spreading the disease, for now. "It potentially could spread to other at-risk groups," he said. 

Farber said the governor's executive order gave physicians more flexibility in obtaining the vaccines without as much red tape.
The state has established a website with information about monkeypox at health.ny.gov/monkeypox.