Monkeypox infections show early signs of slowing in Sacramento as vaccinations proceed
Local health officials on Monday reported 12 new cases of the MPX virus, also known as monkeypox, over the past week among Sacramento County residents.
The latest dozen bring the county’s cumulative total to 122 probable or confirmed cases of MPX virus since the outbreak began locally in late May.
The outbreak is ongoing, but the pace of new infections appears to have slowed since mid-August. The local health office has added 19 new cases over the past two weeks, down from 40 cases in the previous two-week stretch.
Nearby Placer County has increased in the past two weeks from five to eight cases, according to state health data updated Friday. El Dorado and Yolo counties each remain at one case.
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Aug. 1 declared monkeypox a state of emergency in California. Jurisdictions including Sacramento County and San Francisco have also declared local health emergencies.
Vaccine and demographic data in Sacramento
Sacramento County has received just over 5,900 vials to date of the two-dose Jynneos vaccine for MPX virus.
Dosing and administration protocols changed in early August under an emergency authorization from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration: vials that once provided just one dose now contain five doses’ worth, according to the Sacramento County health office website.
Local health officials have given 1,658 doses and redistributed 4,305 vials to medical providers in the area, according to the county website.
Vaccine clinics remain available at several sites in Sacramento County. Pucci’s Pharmacy in East Sacramento and Sunburst Projects in Arden Arcade as of this week continue to offer vaccinations by appointment only. The Sacramento LGBT Community Center in midtown has held weekly clinics on Mondays, with walk-ups available while supply lasts.
Sacramento County now provides demographic data on local cases. Of the 122 total infections recorded in Sacramento County, 95% have been men, 4% have been women and one case was a resident not identifying as male or female.
About 46% of cases have involved residents in their 30s, with 25% in residents younger than 30, 16% in those in their 40s and 13% in those 50 or older.
Of 119 cases with race or ethnicity data available, white county residents have comprised 36%, Hispanic residents 35%, Black residents 18% and multiracial or other race and ethnicity categories making up 12%.
That means the outbreak has disproportionately affected Hispanic and Black residents, who make up a respective 24% and 11% of Sacramento County’s population, according to the latest census data. White residents account for 61% of the population.
Latest California monkeypox numbers
The California Department of Public Health in a Friday update to its monkeypox data webpage said the state had tallied 3,369 probable and confirmed cases of MPX virus.
The total includes more than 1,250 in Los Angeles County, close to 700 in San Francisco and about 240 in San Diego County.
CDPH has reported 99 hospitalizations for MPX virus, or about 4% of all cases for which hospital status was available. No deaths from the virus have been reported in the state.
About 72% of cases have come in Californians between ages 25 and 44, according to CDPH. At least six children have contracted the virus.
CDPH also breaks down case numbers based on sexual orientation, as well as between transgender and cisgender residents.
Among cases in cisgender males, about 85% have been in gay men, 10% in bisexual men and 5% in heterosexual men. Of 45 cases in cisgender women, 77% have been heterosexual, 12% bisexual and 12% lesbian.
At least 10 transgender men and 18 transgender women have contracted the MPX virus, state health data show, as well as 12 nonbinary Californians.
How is monkeypox spread?
Spread of monkeypox, or MPX virus, is linked to prolonged, skin-to-skin exposure, according to experts.
Symptoms of monkeypox include fever, headache, muscle aches, backache, swollen lymph nodes, chills and exhaustion. The patient typically develops a rash, often beginning on the face and spreading to other parts of the body, normally about one to three days after fever.
The incubation period is typically one to two weeks but can range up to three weeks, and the illness typically lasts two to four weeks, according to a county news release.
Doctors and public health officials urge residents to practice safe sex. These practices may include abstaining from sex, practicing monogamy and using condoms during sex to limit exposure to the virus.
Who should get a vaccine?
The county recommends that men who have sex with men and transgender people who meet one or more of these factors should get vaccinated:
▪ Tested positive for a sexually transmitted infection in the last two months
▪ Had more than two sexual partners in the past three weeks
▪ Visited or worked at a commercial sex venue in the last three weeks
▪ Had anonymous sex — which are encounters when parties do not know each others’ identities — in the last three weeks
▪ Engaged in sex work in the past three weeks
Those who meet one or more of the above criteria are eligible for vaccination at Sacramento’s clinics.
This story was originally published August 29, 2022 at 1:59 PM.
