Newsom rescinds state of emergency for mpox in California
SACRAMENTO – Gov. Gavin Newsom rescinded the statewide emergency declaration for mpox this week, citing that state residents are no longer in "extreme peril" due to the virus.
Newsom issued the state of emergency for mpox, initially known as monkeypox, on Aug. 1, 2022. The declaration enabled the state to collaborate more efficiently with local governments to vaccinate at-risk people and quickly stand up vaccination and testing clinics.
At that time, the state was receiving paltry dispersals of the Jynneos vaccine for mpox from the federal government. Meanwhile, confirmed and suspected cases were skyrocketing in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles.
Cases of the virus started to rapidly decline just after Newsom's declaration. The state has not reported a seven-day average of more than five cases per day since late October. As of Jan. 20, 5,719 cases of mpox have been confirmed statewide.
In addition to the mpox state of emergency, Newsom rescinded 25 other active statewide and local emergency declarations dating back to 2017, including those for the Tubbs Fire and the Colorado Fire.