California not ready to declare emergency over monkeypox

DON THOMPSON and JANIE HAR
Associated Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — California’s public health officer says officials are pressing for more vaccine and closely monitoring the spread of the monkeypox virus. But Dr. Tomás Aragón says they have not decided whether to declare a statewide emergency as the city of San Francisco announced Thursday. California has reported nearly 800 probable and confirmed cases of more than 3,000 identified in the U.S. Only New York has reported more cases. Aragón says the state is tapping into the network built during the COVID pandemic to vaccinate people and get them information. Members of the LGBTQ community have been furious with slow response from government at all levels.