Monkeypox: 6 more probable/confirmed cases in RivCo, bringing the total to 34 patients

A Riverside County Public Health spokesperson announced there are six new probable/confirmed Monkeypox cases. In a tweet on Monday morning, Jose Arballo confirmed, "All are men who live in eastern Riverside County who are between 20 and 70. One previous probable case was assigned to San Bernardino County. Total is 34 confirmed/probable cases."

As of July 28, the count had been at 28.

Dr. Alan Williamson, the Senior V.P. Of medical affairs at Eisenhower health said, "About 10 days ago, we received our first allotment of vaccine for monkeypox at Eisenhower. That was 120 doses. We administered that lot of vaccine last week. Last Friday, we received our second shipment, another 337 doses of vaccine arrived on Friday afternoon". As of Monday, Riverside county public health reports there are thirty-four confirmed or probable cases. At Eisenhower alone, Dr. Williamson said "We currently have six cases that are have been absolutely confirmed as being positive. We have an additional nine cases that have been confirmed to have the ortho pox type of errors".

I asked are they on a schedule with Riverside County Public Health and Dr. Williamson said, "there is not, unfortunately a set schedule that we know precisely what's going to be coming down the line, we just have to wait each time when they receive an allotment, then they go ahead and distribute that quite quickly".

The Desert Aids Project Health administered 160 doses provided in their first allotment from the Riverside Department of Public Health. On Friday, DAP Health received 337 additional doses. They are identifying High-risk DAP Health patients and community members who fit the current priority guidelines. Those individuals will receive an invitation to schedule an appointment for the JYNNEOS vaccine.

DAP Health MPX Hotline: 760-656-8432 or MPX@daphealth.org

If you believe you have been exposed to Monkeypox, Riverside County Health has provided a number to call: (951) 358-5107.

MORE: Rancho Mirage man relieved after obtaining Monkeypox treatment medication

Riverside County Health General Statement:

Vaccine continues to be limited across the state, including in Riverside County. We continue to distribute 80% of supply to community partners, which include DAP Health, Eisenhower Medical Center, Borrego Health, and RUHS EIP Clinic, while we also continue to work on adding additional community partners. Public health has continued to schedule and vaccinate people who have been exposed to monkeypox as well as host limited invite-only vaccine events based on high-risk criteria and equity considerations.

In our most recent allocation, the 2b allocation, we were allocated 396 vaccine doses. We understand this is a very small allocation compared to what is needed to protect all who are at elevated risk in Riverside County, including within Coachella Valley. We advocated for additional doses and were able to receive an additional 1000 doses, for a total of 1,396 doses. We are awaiting information on additional allocations, as we continue to strongly advocate for more doses.

California cases

The federal government has allocated a limited number of JYNNEOS vaccine doses to Californians. California Department of Public Health is working with local health departments to make these doses available to protect against monkeypox. The vaccine called JYNNEOS is for adults only.

The numbers below were updated last Thursday on the CDPH Site:

Tips from the CDPH:

There are a number of ways to prevent the spread of monkeypox, including: 

• Always talk to your sexual partner/s about any recent illness and be aware of new or unexplained sores or rashes on your body or your partner’s body, including on the genitals and anus 
• Avoiding close contact, including sex, with people with symptoms like sores or rashes 
• Practicing good hand hygiene
• People who become infected should isolate themselves until their symptoms are improving or have gone away completely. The rash should always be well covered until completely healed.
• Using appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) (like a mask, gown, and gloves) when caring for others with symptoms 
• Avoiding contact with infected materials contaminated with the virus 
• Avoiding contact with infected animals