LI 3rd In NY For Monkeypox As COVID-19 Quarantine Ends In School: Gov

LONG ISLAND, NY — Long Island has the third highest number of monkeypox cases in New York as the state grapples with a shortage of vaccines, officials said Monday. Meanwhile, Gov Kathy Hochul said the days of sending an entire classroom home because one child has COVID-19 symptoms are over.

According to data provided by Hochul, of the 2,798 cases reported in New York State, 2,596 are located in New York City, 70 in Westchester, and 69 on Long Island — with 41 in Suffolk County and 28 in Nassau County.

New York, she said, is the epicenter for monkeypox not just in the nation but the world.

Monkeypox was declared an imminent threat to public health in New York State on July 28; the federal government also called a state of emergency, and the World Health Organizaton, on July 23, called monkeypox a public health emergency of international concern.

A juvenile in New York State has also been diagnosed with monkeypox, New York Health Commissioner Dr. Mary Bassett confirmed during the Monday briefing.

The principal challenge in dealing with monkeypox is the shortage of vaccination doses, Hochul said. Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Association has issued an emergency use authorization for a new dose-bearing strategy, allowing one-fifth the dose, that will be administered through a different route, intradermally, rather than subcutaneously.

An intradermal injection is administered into a layer of skin and a subcutaneous, below the layer of skin. The reason a small dose can be used is because the area where the injection is introduced intradermally has more immunogenicity, meaning the lesser dosage will provide the same outcome.

The transition to the new dose-bearing strategy will begin on August 29, Bassett said.

All data on monkeypox will now be available on the state Department of Health website, Bassett said. The overwhelming majority of those contracting monkeypox are men who identify as gay or have sex with men, she said.

Data indicates that New York is "right to be concerned about" vaccine equity, Bassett said, adding that the deficit of the vaccines, especially in regard to Black men, needs to be addressed.

Although monkeypox is rarely fatal, it is "unpleasant and painful," Bassett said. It's important, she said, to speak with sexual partners about rashes or symptoms and avoid skin-to-skin contact with anyone exhibiting symptoms.

Also, she said, a rash must be present before a diagnosis is received.

New York State has greatly expanded access to monkeypox testing, she said. In addition, efforts are underway to ensure access to the antiviral tecovirimat, or TPOXX.

New York has received 28,000 vials of the vaccine, with another 3,560 on the way; New York State, in recognition of New York City being the "true hotspot," has reallocated 6,000 doses to the city, Bassett said.

Hochul said she will continue to advocate to the federal government for additional vials.

When asked if the intradermal vaccinations were as effective, Bassett said they were but added that they are not as pleasant and can cause scarring and pain. While she would have preferred the subcutaneous injections, Bassett said: "We have been struggling with not having enough doses. Our obligation is to do the most good for the most people and intradermal injections will vastly expand our access to this scarce resource."

Supply chain shortages have impacted the number of dosages, Hochul said.

Bassett said while a juvenile has been diagnosed, she is not concerned about monkeypox spreading at schools; monkeypox may be contracted by a young person with gay parents at home, she added. "Very, very few cases" of juveniles have been diagnosed nationally — under a dozen, Hochul said.

With more than 15,000 cases diagnosed nationally, the majority are in young, Black men, Bassett said. "The school setting is not a setting I'm concerned about," she said.

However, both she and Hochul said, teenagers do have sex, so it's important to educate teens about safety in school. Educators and schools need to know what to do if someone has been exposed to, or diagnosed with, monkeypox, they said.

Bassett and Hochul also discussed polio in Rockland and Orange Counties and urged individuals to get vaccinated.

COVID and back-to-school

Hochul also said while the numbers are down for COVID-19, with 22 cases per 100,000, compared to 381 per 100,000 during January's omicron peak, the numbers are higher, still, on Long Island.

With kids ready to get back to school, Hochul added, "What a difference a year makes."

She said last week the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its guidance for grades K through 12 and early childhood education centers, lifting the requirement to quarantine after exposure, with no more "test-to-stay" requirements in schools.

"The days of sending an entire classroom home because one child is symptomatic are over," Hochul said.

If a child is exposed but does not have symptoms, they do not have to go home, Hochul said. Wearing a mask for five to 10 days is advised, regardless of vaccination status, under the new guidelines.

If a child tests positive they are asked to stay home for five days and wear a mask, but if they test negative and have no symptoms after five days they can return to school, she said. There will also be no further random screening or testing of individuals with no symptoms, Hochul said.

Hochul said she will still be watching numbers during the fall, when traditionally they have begun to climb. She said she hopes people will begin to return to office settings or at least a hybrid of the work-at-home and in-office attendance options.

Most of all, Hochul urged vaccinations and said the "Vax to school" program is once again underway, with pop-up vaccination centers and a focus on breaking down barriers to vaccine access.