On Friday, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) tweeted: “I am declaring a State of Disaster Emergency on… [+] to strengthen our ongoing efforts to address the monkeypox outbreak. This executive order allows us to respond more quickly and allows health professionals to take additional steps that will help vaccinate more New Yorkers.” (Photo by Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images
The monkeypox epidemic is officially a disaster in New York State. The question is when will this new state of mind in New York become the state of mind of other states. Yesterday, Governor Kathy Hochul (D) issued an executive order declaring the monkeypox outbreak a disaster in New York State and tweeted the following:
This was six days after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared PHEIC out of the ongoing monkeypox outbreak on July 23, with PHEIC signifying a public health emergency of international concern. It was also one day after the New York State Health Commissioner declared it an immediate public health threat on July 28. And just like that, the inevitable became clear and present.
This was by no means the first emergency disaster to be declared in New York State in recent years. There was also something called the Covid-19 pandemic, which triggered such a declaration in 2020 and led to the renewal of such declarations between then and this year. If you still don’t know what Covid-19 is, it’s the thing that many people around you might be trying to tell you is “over” when it really isn’t.
And now “what is monkeypox virus” has joined “what is severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)” as the correct answers to “Things Not Well Controlled in the USA” on Jeopardy! As of July 29, there were a total of 5,169 confirmed cases of monkeypox in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Confirmed cases have occurred in all but three states (Montana, Vermont, Wyoming) in the US. The worst-hit state, however, is the Empire State, with 1,345 cases according to the CDC and 1,383 according to the executive order as of Friday. In fact, the executive order states that “New York City is now experiencing one of the highest transmission rates in the country.” So it’s no surprise that the state is done with monkeypox and has declared a state of emergency.
This disaster declaration will be in effect for all of New York State until August 28th. Such a declaration usually has two general purposes. The first is to raise awareness of the problem. You’ve probably heard about the monkeypox outbreak by now, unless you’ve been doing nothing but watching Squid Game on Netflix for the past few months. And yes, the monkeypox virus is not the same as SARS-CoV-2. It will not require the same level of precautions as the mass wearing of a face mask that public health authorities tried to implement for the Covid-19 pandemic with an emphasis on the word “tried”.
The problem, however, is that many people still seem to be acting as if things are completely green light, not taking enough action and precautions against the monkeypox virus that public health experts are urging. In fact, there is a lot of surprise, surprise, misinformation circulating about the monkeypox virus, such as claims that it is simply a sexually transmitted infection, when it can be spread through any kind of prolonged close contact. While a disaster declaration doesn’t mean you have to start waving your arms and running around in a panic while screaming “disaster, disaster” and hoarding toilet paper, it does mean you should be aware of the necessary precautions. This includes immediately isolating anyone who may have any symptoms of monkeypox and getting genuine and appropriate medical care for that person. It also means avoiding close contact with anyone who may be infected, or anything an infected person may have touched, and getting vaccinated against monkeypox if you’re more likely to be exposed to the virus. Remember that unless you are a ficus plant posing as a human, you can catch the monkeypox virus if you are exposed to it.
The second general purpose of the disaster declaration is to expand the authority of various government agencies and their personnel to mobilize resources to respond to the outbreak. Don’t misconstrue this as establishing some kind of martial law or perhaps “Marshall Law,” in the words of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green (R-Ga.). This is not a sign that the so-called deep state wants your toilet paper too. Instead, the declaration does some practical things like expanding the ability of various medical professionals to administer monkeypox vaccinations when deemed necessary under certain conditions.
New York may be the first US state to declare a monkeypox outbreak a disaster. But he may not be the only one who does. The state of California has the second most confirmed cases of monkeypox with 799 and is reportedly considering a similar declaration. Illinois is third with 419, followed by Florida with 373. The monkeypox virus is spreading faster and farther than it has since it was first identified in 1958. The Empire State of Mind may think that this is a disaster. But while Alicia Keys and Jay-Z may have been singing “There’s nothing you can’t do,” New York will need other states and the federal government to step up as well to help control the outbreak. After all, the monkeypox virus doesn’t really discriminate or respect national borders when it comes to infecting humans.
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