SF and NY state declare monkeypox emergencies

San Francisco and New York state declare monkeypox emergencies; Ukraine and Russia blame each other for an attack on POWs.

Tonight's Sentences was written by Jariel Arvin.

The first US monkeypox emergencies

John Smith/VIEWpress

• San Francisco and New York state have declared public health emergencies in response to monkeypox outbreaks. [Axios / Nick Bastone and Julia Shapero]
• As of Friday morning, San Francisco had recorded 281 cases. The emergency declaration activates city resources to prevent the spread of the virus starting August 1. [NBC News Bay Area]
• In New York, declaring monkeypox an imminent threat allows local health departments to coordinate a response and to use state and federal funding on mitigating the virus. The state has reported over 1,200 cases. [CNN / Taylor Romine, Rob Frehse, and Katherine Dillinger]
• Last week, the WHO declared a global monkeypox emergency as over 18,000 cases reached 78 countries. The virus spreads through close physical contact; symptoms include painful lesions. [CNBC / Spencer Kimball]
• Most cases have been recorded among men who have sex with men, leading to concerns about public health officials stigmatizing the LGBTQ+ community. [New York Times / Liam Stack]
• The federal government is still weighing a national emergency declaration, but cleared 800,000 vaccine doses for distribution. [Washington Post / Fenit Nirappil]

Ukraine and Russia point fingers over strike on POWs

• Friday, Kyiv and Moscow blamed one another for an attack that killed dozens of Ukrainian prisoners of war in the country’s eastern separatist region. [Associated Press / Susie Blann]
• The source of the attack has not been independently confirmed. Ukraine says it intercepted phone calls that show Russia attacked to hide the prison’s atrocities. [Reuters / Max Hunder and Pavel Polityuk]
• However, Russia says Ukraine fired US-supplied long-range missiles at the prison to prevent captured soldiers from sharing sensitive information. [NBC News / Rhoda Kwan]
• Meanwhile, defense experts say Russia’s military advance is stalling as its troops face a better-equipped Ukraine. [Washington Post / Liz Sly]

On Friday, Will Smith posted a video apology for slapping  Chris Rock at the Oscars. [Variety / Brent Lang]

• Workers at a Massachusetts Trader Joe’s became the chain’s first to unionize. [NYT / Noam Scheiber]
• Gov. Andy Beshear said flooding in eastern Kentucky has left at least 16 people dead, including children. The death toll is expected to rise. [CNN / Elizabeth Wolfe and Theresa Waldrop]
• Former President Donald Trump is illegally using the presidential seal on towels and other items during a tournament at his New Jersey golf course. [Washington Post / Mariana Alfaro, Rick Maese, and Ellen Francis 

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“It feels like survival of the fittest, with all the pandemic waves and now monkeypox and all these vaccine problems.”

[James Ogden, 31, on getting a monkeypox vaccination / NYT]

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