LONG
VICE MAYOR
NICORPORA REX
RICHARDSON
NB-26
Date: August 16, 2022
To: Honorable Mayor Robert Garcia and Members of the City Council From: Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, 9** District
Councilmember Roberto Uranga, 7ih District
Councilmember Mary Zendejas, 1st District
Subject: Monkeypox Vaccine Eligibility for At-Risk Homeless Service Workers RECOMMENDATION:
Direct the City Manager to submit a request to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to study, once sufficient volume of vaccines becomes available, the inclusion of, working as a homeless services outreach worker or working in a congregate shelter as eligibility criteria for the Monkeypox vaccine.
Discussion
As of August 11th the Long Beach Health Department has confirmed 36 cases of Monkeypox among Long Beach residents.' Countywide, the number of confirmed cases has more than doubled over the past week.? In order to slow the spread of the virus, Los Angeles County has embarked on an ambitious vaccination program, administering nearly 23,000 doses of the Monkeypox vaccine as of August 5th. Currently, those eligible to receive a vaccine include the following:
• People who were exposed to someone with confirmed monkeypox and do not have symptoms.
• People who attended an event/venue where there was high risk of exposure to someone with confirmed monkeypox.
• Gay or bisexual men and transgender persons who are on HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
• Gay or bisexual men and transgender people who attended saunas, bathhouses, sex clubs, circuit parties or sex parties where they had anonymous sex or sex with multiple partners.
1 "Long Beach reports 36 confirmed or probable cases of monkeypox." Signal Tribune. Aug. 11, 2022. https://sigtrib.com/long-beach-reports-36-confirmed-or-probable-cases-of-monkeypox/ 2 "LA County Monkeypox Daily Case Update." LA County Department of Public Health. Aug. 11, 2022. http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/media/monkeypox/data/index.htm LONG
VICE MAYOR
RE
RICHARDSON
Gay or bisexual men and transgender people with a diagnosis of gonorrhea or early syphilis within the past 12 months.
• Gay or bisexual men and transgender people 18 years of age and older who had multiple or anonymous sex partners in the last 14 days including engaging in survival and/or transactional sex (e.g., sex in exchange for shelter, food and other goods and needs).
• Residents who are immunocompromised, including those with advanced or uncontrolled HIV, who may be at high risk for severe disease.3 While the data clearly shows that gay and bisexual men are the populations most at risk from this virus and should be prioritized in vaccine receipt, once more vaccines become available, the CDC recommends that eligibility be extended to "Certain healthcare and public health response team members designated by public health authorities to be vaccinated for preparedness purposes".4 Outreach workers and shelter workers clearly fall under this category.
Although the men who have sex with men account for the vast majority of Monkeypox cases, Monkeypox is not a sexually transmitted disease. The virus is transmitted through close contact with infectious rashes, scabs, and bodily fluids, debris of which can remain infections on surfaces such as bedsheets or clothing for up to 15 days. This can cause exposures and transmission without any sexual contact. As a preventative measure, and in accordance with CDC guidance, Long Beach should do whatever it can to protect its public health workers who interact with high-risk populations, particularly those who work in homeless services.
Fiscal Impact
No Financial Management review was able to be conducted due to the urgency and time sensitivity of this item.
3 "Information on Monkeypox." Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services. Aug. 2, 2022. https://longbeach.gov/health/diseases-and-condition/information-on/monkeypox/ 4 "Monkeypox and Smallpox Vaccine Guidance." Center for Disease Control. June 2, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/clinicians/smallpox-vaccine.html 5 "Safer Sex, Social Gatherings, and Monkeypox." Center for Disease Control. Aug. 5, 2022. https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox/sexualhealth/index.html 6 "Monkeypox and People Experiencing Homelessness." National Healthcare for the Homeless Council.
Aug. 5, 2022. https://nhchc.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/NHCHC-Monkeypox-fact-sheet.pdf
OF LONG
BEACH VICE MAYOR
REX
RICHARDSON
Urgency Statement
Due to the rapidly evolving nature of disease transmission and public health officials' understanding thereof, urgency is requested for this item.
Suggested Action
Approve recommendation.
OF LONG
CHEAT BEACH VICE MAYOR
REX
RICHARDSON
LONG
BEACH City of Long Beach Memorandum
Working Together to Serve
NT 1891
SOPPORARED
REQUEST TO ADD AGENDA ITEM
Date: August 16, 2022
To: Monique De La Garza, City Clerk
From: Vice Mayor Rex Richardson, 9t District
Councilmember Roberto Uranga, 7*h District
Councilmember Mary Zendejas, 1st District
Subject: Request to Add Agenda Item to Council Agenda of 8/16 Pursuant to Municipal Code Section 2.03.070 [B], the City Councilmembers signing below request that the attached agenda item (due in the City Clerk Department by Friday, 12:00 Noon) be placed on the City Council agenda via the supplemental agenda.
The agenda title/recommendation for this item reads as follows:
Direct the City Manager to submit a request to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health to study, once sufficient volume of vaccines becomes available, the inclusion of, working as a homeless services outreach worker or working in a congregate shelter as eligibility criteria for the Monkeypox vaccine.
Council District | Authorizing Councilmember Signed by
9 Rex Richardson
7 Roberto Uranga
1 Mary Zendejas
CC: Office of the Mayor