Palm Springs mayor calls on CDC, CDPH to shift strategies with monkeypox vaccines – Desert Sun

July 25, 2022 Kim Martel

Palm Springs Mayor Lisa Middleton is calling on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the California Department of Public Health to shift their strategy when it comes to acquiring and distributing monkeypox vaccines.

Middleton sent a letter to California Department of Public Health Director Tomas L. Aragón requesting that the two public health entities accelerate purchasing vaccines and to prioritize distribution to communities already experiencing a high rate of incidents and communities with populations more likely to contract the disease.

“It is imperative that the CDC and the CDPC work quickly to make these and any other necessary adjustments to better meet the demand for vaccines and ensure the threat of monkeypox is mitigated in our communities,” Middleton said in a statement.

As of Monday, there have been at least 13 probable and confirmed monkeypox cases reported in Riverside County.

More: Monkeypox: What Californians need to know about the virus outbreak

Monkeypox is a rare disease caused by the monkeypox virus. People usually become infected through close contact with skin lesions or bodily fluids of infected animals or humans (alive or dead), including droplets, and can also be spread through sexual contact. The virus can infect anyone, but gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men have been among the most at-risk for infection in the current global outbreak.

The World Health Organization recently declared the virus a global health emergency.

So far, Riverside County has received more than 1,000 post-exposure vaccines for monkeypox, which would help protect 500-plus people most at risk of infection, county spokesperson Jose Arballo Jr. told The Desert Sun. The county is expecting more doses to come in, but Arballo said earlier this month there was no estimate as to when they might arrive.

In the Coachella Valley, Eisenhower Health recently received 120 doses of the JYNNEOS vaccine, and DAP Health has received 80 doses of the vaccine and expects to get 80 more by the time those patients need their second dose in a month.

Local officials have said many more vaccines are needed in the Coachella Valley given the high concentration of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. Rep. Raul Ruiz, D-La Quinta, has urged California to consider special vaccine clinics in the Palm Springs area.

More: Riverside County health officials to distribute monkeypox vaccines to Coachella Valley

State Epidemiologist Dr. Erica Pan said in a webinar this month that the state allocates vaccines to local health departments based on a formula that weighs the number of reported monkeypox cases and number of early syphilis cases among males.

State officials have indicated they don’t have an adequate supply of monkeypox vaccines to meet the need across California. In a letter sent Wednesday to CDC Director Rochelle Walensky, Mark Ghaly, the state secretary of health and human services, estimated California needs at least 600,000 to 800,000 additional vaccines.

“Unlike the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic when we did not have a vaccine to mitigate the spread, in the case of monkeypox we do have an approved vaccine that should be effective and can mitigate the impact among a group of individuals who continue to be marginalized,” Ghaly said.

California received around 19,500 Jynneos vaccine doses between May 27 and July 10 (56,000 vaccines available nationally), Pan said during the webinar. CDPH received 12,156 doses, while Los Angeles, which Pan said receives and distributes its own allocations, received 7,406 vials.

On July 11, California ordered another 25,000 doses — 14,774 for the state health department and 9,812 for Los Angeles — among the nation’s 240,000 vaccines available. For the third round of vaccine distribution, expected in September, there should be around 800,000 to one million doses available nationally. Pan said “we don’t know yet what the California allocation will be.” The federal government is also expected to order another 3 million doses toward the winter and early 2023.

More: Palm Springs isn’t getting enough monkeypox vaccines, say DAP Health and Rep. Raul Ruiz

The City of Palm Springs also announced Monday it is working with GT Molecular to develop a process for testing Palm Springs wastewater for monkeypox infections similar to the COVID-19 testing program currently underway.

“Our number one priority is ensuring the health and safety of our residents and visitors,” said Middleton. “We will do whatever we can to partner with scientists and healthcare professionals to ensure Palm Springs has the best data available to help keep our community safe.”

Ema Sasic covers entertainment and health in the Coachella Valley. Reach her at ema.sasic@desertsun.com or on Twitter @ema_sasic.