SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – As monkeypox continues to spread and pose an increasing threat to gay and bisexual men throughout the country, San Francisco health officials are trying to keep pace with the demand for vaccines.
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The city went so far as to declare a state of emergency to begin on Monday in order to be prioritized more for vaccine distribution.
Mayor London Breed announced the state of emergency Thursday last week in an effort to bolster the city’s response to the crisis.
"San Francisco showed during COVID that early action is essential for protecting public health," said Mayor London Breed in Thursday's release. "We know that this virus impacts everyone equally – but we also know that those in our LGBTQ community are at greater risk right now. Many people in our LGBTQ community are scared and frustrated. This local emergency will allow us to continue to support our most at-risk, while also better preparing for what’s to come."
The efforts to increase vaccination come just after some anxiety was felt at the Up Your Alley leather and fetish fair in San Francisco over the weekend, the annual festival in the SoMa neighborhood of the city.
The festival celebrates embracing sexuality and is heavily attended by the LGBTQ+ community, who are predominantly affected by monkeypox.
There are currently more than 5,000 monkeypox cases across the country, 800 of which are in California. 300 of those are in San Francisco alone, according to reporting by KTVU.
This week, the San Francisco General Hospital's vaccine clinic hopes to administer 4,000 doses this week, according to the station.
This depends on the state receiving 72,000 doses soon, the station reported, of which a large portion will be set aside for San Francisco, which along with Los Angeles, counts for two thirds of the state’s total cases.
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