The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors issued a proclamation Tuesday morning that declares monkeypox a local emergency.
L.A. County 5th District Supervisor Kathryn Barger said she believes the proclamation will get full support from the board.
“It’s vital for us to get the resources so we can do all hands on deck … To date, to our knowledge, there have been no deaths as a result of Monkeypox. My understanding it is very painful but I’m going to tell people not to panic,” Barger said.
California has confirmed nearly 800 monkeypox cases, with almost half of those being reported in Los Angeles County.
Several pop-up vaccine clinics have already opened in L.A. County with another scheduled to open at the West Hollywood library on Wednesday.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom issued a state of emergency on Monday due to the growing number of monkeypox cases.
“California is working urgently across all levels of government to slow the spread of monkeypox, leveraging our robust testing, contact tracing and community partnerships strengthened during the pandemic to ensure that those most at risk are our focus for vaccines, treatment and outreach,” Newsom said in a statement.