Following the city’s bumpy rollout of monkeypox vaccines this summer, the New York City Council LGBTQIA+ Caucus unveiled legislation Thursday morning aimed at combating the outbreak across the five boroughs.
If passed, the package, which consists of three bills, would require the city to establish a multi-pronged monkeypox response plan, create an education and outreach strategy, ensure sufficient vaccine access for vulnerable communities, enhance monkeypox data reporting, and establish a permanent infectious disease vaccine scheduling portal.
The package is the first major piece of legislation in the nation to address the epidemic, according to Councilmember Crystal Hudson, the co-chair of the LGBTQIA+ Caucus.
The number of monkeypox cases in New York City has continued to climb throughout the summer.
Thus far, monkeypox has disproportionately affected men who have sex with men, according to the city’s health department, though health officials maintain the disease can spread to anyone through prolonged physical contact.
Mayor Eric Adams at the start of August declared the outbreak a local state of emergency days after the city’s health commissioner, Dr. Ashwin Vasan, declared the outbreak a public health emergency.
At a news conference conference Thursday morning, Hudson criticized the city’s response to the outbreak and demanded action be taken to eradicate the disease.
“This city has a record of doing too little too late when it comes to curbing infectious diseases,” Hudson said. "The communities who suffer most from our inaction are poor and low-income communities, marginalized communities, and communities of color. Now, despite navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, we have failed to apply the lessons we’ve learned over the last few years to our handling of the monkeypox outbreak."
“The legislation introduced in this package seeks to remedy the systemic shortcomings that have hindered our ability to respond to this public health emergency effectively and efficiently. These bills make clear that a robust set of procedures are paramount to the success of future responses and reaffirm our commitment to evidence-based solutions while not sacrificing the inclusivity, sensitivity and compassion we work so hard to build in our community,” Hudson added.
The first bill in the package would require the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to develop a plan to prevent the spread of monkeypox and response to the ongoing monkeypox outbreak. The city would be required to conduct an educational outreach campaign about the monkeypox outbreak, as well as require the city to coordinate with agencies and community-based organizations so that the most vulnerable communities at risk for the virus have access to vaccines.
If passed, the bill would also require the city to maintain a permanent vaccine portal that allows New Yorkers to schedule appointments for the COVID-19 vaccine, monkeypox vaccines and other infectious disease vaccines.
The second bill would necessitate the city publish on its website and regularly update comprehensive data relating to monkeypox.
The information would include: available monkeypox vaccines at the start and end of each day, the total number of monkeypox cases, the total number of monkeypox tests administered, and the total number of monkeypox vaccines administered — broken down by borough, age, race, ethnicity, gender identity and sexual orientation.
The final bill is a resolution calling upon the nation’s Department of Health and Human Services to increase the number of monkeypox vaccines available, while ensuring an equitable number of vaccines are sent to New York City, which is the epicenter of the health emergency.
When asked by a reporter at the news conference, Councilmember Lynn Schulman, the chair of the council’s health committee, said the Adams Administration had been receptive when she contacted them about the legislation.
According to Schulman, a public hearing on the package of bills is set for August 24.
The Adams administration did not respond to a request for comment.