U.S. Sen. Alex Padilla joined health experts in a tour of the monkeypox vaccine clinic in San Francisco and to address the urgent need for more doses.
Padilla spoke about making a real push to curb the spread of monkeypox, particularly in its disproportionate effect on LGBTQ communities of color. His visit included a tour of the clinic and a news conference where health experts from the local and state level addressed progress in the current outbreak.
"I want to be clear that the federal government needs to do more and must do more quickly," Padilla said. "California currently has the second-highest positivity rate for Mpox in the country."
From the start, San Francisco was recognized for being at the forefront of the fight against monkeypox. So far, the city has administered more than 21,500 doses of the monekypox vaccine.
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But that's still not enough to meet demand.
"We have urgently asked our state and federal partners to dleive rus resources we need to stop mpoxx from spreading further," San Francisco Public Health Director Dr. Grant Colfax said. "If we don’t do enough, we face the possibility this disease could become endemic.
Local health officials have requested 35,000 vaccine doses to satisfy demand and curb the spread of the virus. About 8,000 doses are expected to arrive soon, but an estimated date was not provided.
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San Francisco has 683 total monkeypox cases, and Friday marks 100 days since the first reported case in California.
