San Francisco’s mayor declared a state of emergency on Thursday because of the rising number of monkeypox cases, allowing officials to cut red tape and fight a public health crisis reminiscent of the AIDS epidemic that began to ravage the city in the 1980s.
“We are in a very scary place. And we don’t want to be ignored by the federal government in our needs. So many leaders of the LGBT community also asked for further help, support and assistance weeks ago,” said Mayor of London Breed.
The city is in “desperate need for vaccines,” she said.
The declaration, which takes effect Monday, was welcomed by gay advocates who have grown increasingly frustrated with what they called San Francisco’s weak response to the virus, which has so far mostly affected men who have sex with men, despite that anyone can get infected.
“San Francisco has been at the forefront of public health responses to HIV and COVID-19, and we will be at the forefront when it comes to monkeypox,” said state Sen. Scott Wiener, a Democrat who represents the city. “We cannot and will not let the LGBTQ community wither.”
The city has 281 cases, out of about 800 in California and 4,600 nationwide, according to the San Francisco Department of Public Health. A national vaccine shortage has resulted in people waiting hours in line for scarce doses, often only to be turned away when the shots run out.
Members of the LGBTQ community expressed anger and frustration at a city hearing last week, saying they are relying on social media because the San Francisco Department of Public Health has not provided basic information about testing or vaccine availability.
Superintendent Rafael Mandelman blasted the department, saying it was unclear why it could not man phone lines, especially after telling people to call those phone numbers for information, while the San Francisco AIDS Foundation was able to quickly staff the monkeypox information hotline. The organization has also started a waiting list for people who want the vaccine, unlike the public health department, which forces people to wait in line.
“It’s a bad look for San Francisco,” he said.
After attending Pride weekend in San Francisco in late June, Tom Temprano, 36, received word that at least one other attendee had tested positive for monkeypox. He called four numbers provided by local health officials in an attempt to get vaccinated, but no one picked up. He left voicemails.
“I waited and waited and waited,” Temprano said, “And there was kind of like — I think for myself and a lot of people — just a growing concern, really, for our safety as we got further and further away from exposure .”
Finally, on July 8, two weeks after he was potentially exposed to the virus at the Pride event and after monitoring gay social media the entire time, he learned through an Instagram post that a vaccination clinic was being held at San Francisco General Hospital . The poster said drop everything and leave now. Temprano texted half a dozen people and rushed off.
He waited with hundreds of other people in a line that wound down the street and ran down the middle of the block. After waiting 3 1/2 hours, Temprano, who is policy director for San Francisco-based Equality California, received his first dose of the vaccine. One of his friends stood in line four times before he could get the shot.
Temprano was due to receive his second dose next week, but that was canceled – because the vaccine was in short supply, city officials chose to prioritize people’s first doses. He’s disappointed that authorities have taken so long to respond, noting that they did so after LGBTQ politicians in his community spoke up.
“I think the saddest thing is that there are people who are now getting monkeypox, who tried to get this vaccine for the last month and a half and couldn’t get one, who are sick and in pain and will be potentially out of work for two to six weeks,” he said.
Wiener urged local and state officials to declare a public health emergency, which he said would give the city and counties more flexibility to respond to the growing epidemic. For example, it would streamline getting people test results and allow a wider range of providers to carry out vaccinations.
Wiener, who is gay, also noted the parallels with San Francisco’s AIDS crisis.
“I feel like it’s like déjà vu — that once again gay men are being attacked and demonized and blamed while we’re sick, and that we can never tolerate that,” he said.
In the early 1980s, the US government was slow to respond when the AIDS epidemic devastated gay communities in San Francisco and elsewhere. Groups like ACT UP emerged to push for action on AIDS. This struggle has echoes today.
Despite vaccine supply problems, federal officials said Thursday that the nation’s monkeypox outbreak could still be contained, amid concerns that the U.S. has missed a window to contain the virus.
The monkeypox virus is spread through prolonged skin-to-skin contact, which includes sex, kissing, breathing at close range and sharing bedding and clothing, the public health department said. Health officials are asking people who may be at risk to cover exposed skin when in crowds and to watch for symptoms such as fever, blisters and rashes.
Over the weekend, the World Health Organization declared the monkeypox outbreak in more than 70 countries a global emergency.
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