New York, NY - In the wake of the botched Monkeypox vaccine rollout in New York, Dan Goldman, Democratic candidate for Congress in NY-10 and lead counsel for Donald Trump’s first impeachment, today proposed an urgent plan to address the rise in Monkeypox cases. Government response to the rise in cases has made it clear that too few lessons have been learned from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and that New York, and the nation, is woefully underprepared for the next public health crisis.

“The botched rollout and inadequate Monkeypox vaccine supply is completely unacceptable and has put the health and safety of New Yorkers at risk,” Dan Goldman said. “We have been dealing with a global public health emergency for the past two years and have seemingly learned nothing from our mistakes. New Yorkers deserve for their government to anticipate problems and properly address them. We must immediately implement this plan and treat the rapid spread of Monkeypox with the urgency it requires.”

New York City received 6,000 new doses of the Monkeypox vaccine on Tuesday, July 5, but rollout of the doses was hampered by a “glitch” that made appointments available prematurely and left New Yorkers confused. New Yorkers were again left frustrated after a limited number of appointments were again opened up, only to be quickly taken.

The limited number of available vaccines has also forced health officials to stretch the supply and at least partially protect as many people as possible by not providing the roughly 1,000 already inoculated New Yorkers with a second dose.

Monkeypox is spreading rapidly, with 141 New Yorkers testing positive this week, up 464 percent from two weeks ago.

In the wake of the City and Federal government’s unacceptably slow and disorganized vaccine rollout, Dan Goldman is proposing an urgent plan to address the spread of Monkeypox and ensure we do not repeat the mistakes of the past in responding to a public health crisis.

Surge in Vaccine Supply: Unlike the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we are not waiting on the development of an effective vaccine. We have a proven, working vaccine, and it is unacceptable that the Federal government is unprepared to allocate the necessary doses. First and foremost, Congress must make funding for the vaccine a priority and dramatically ramp up dosage shipment. In a June 28 letter, PrEP4All stated that there are one million available Monkeypox vaccine doses currently in Denmark that the Federal government has delayed importing because the FDA refuses to accept the EU regulatory body’s safety inspection in lieu of its own. In a public health emergency, the FDA should be able to rely on the EU’s well-respected regulatory system as we work to prevent an epidemic.

Education and Awareness Campaign: To respond to this current threat, the Federal government must step up education and awareness campaigns targeting the most vulnerable populations. NYC public health experts should have regular contact with community leaders to provide timely updates.

Use Social Media Apps to Stop the Spread: Public and private partners must come together to ensure popular dating and social media apps spread awareness of the risks of Monkeypox and prevention measures.

Comprehensive Vaccine and Screening Operation: A mobile vaccination clinic program must immediately be ramped up to bring vaccines directly into affected communities. Vaccines should be made available at airports for travelers returning from high-risk areas, for front-line workers including housekeeping staff in hospitals, as well as individuals in the adult film industry. Monkeypox screenings must be added to HIV screening protocols in the adult film industry.

Transparency: Sharing data on transmission trends and hotspots is essential, with due consideration given to individual rights to privacy. Any data that is made public should ensure protections for individual privacy, especially for vulnerable at-risk populations.

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Congress must make it a priority to fund additional resources to modernize our public health system so that our country is better prepared for outbreaks, epidemics, and pandemics. We need to improve data collection and monitoring so we can better track trends in a coordinated manner and share that information not only with state and local healthcare systems but with the public as well.

Dan Goldman believes that healthcare is a fundamental right and every American who wants it should have access to consistent, high-quality healthcare, regardless of their income. That is why Dan supports a public option for healthcare to ensure every American has quality health care. Dan supports empowering Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices to make prescription drugs more affordable.

Dan Goldman and his wife, Corinne, live in lower Manhattan where they are raising their five children. In 2019, Dan Goldman served as lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Donald J. Trump for abusing his office for his personal interest regarding Ukraine. In that role, Goldman led depositions and questioned witnesses in public hearings, and testified before the House Judiciary Committee.

Prior to that, Goldman served for a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York working with Preet Bharara. In that role, he held powerful actors accountable and made our city safer. He took on some of the office’s biggest and most consequential cases: prosecuting violent criminals and gun trafficking, mafia bosses and Russian organized crime, and landmark insider trading and major corporate fraud cases. In law school, Goldman contributed to Michelle Alexander’s seminal book, The New Jim Crow, which addressed the inequalities in our criminal justice system.

The Democratic Primary in New York’s 10th congressional district is on Tuesday, August 23.