/download (3).webp "Medical Reserve Corps volunteers administer monkeypox vaccinations at a new walk-up monkeypox vaccination site at Barnsdall Art Park on Tuesday in Hollywood.(Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times)")
Monkeypox cases are rising exponentially in some gay and bisexual communities, dimming hopes that officials can quickly gain control of the virus that has the potential to establish a lasting foothold in the United States.
The U.S. is reporting about 450 monkeypox cases a day for the seven-day period that ended Tuesday, according to Our World in Data. That’s double the rate from two weeks earlier. Los Angeles County reported 683 cumulative cases as of Tuesday — doubling in the last 10 days. An additional 29 cases were reported in the county on Wednesday.
More than 1,800 monkeypox cases have been reported in California as of Wednesday, according to a Times tally of data from L.A. and San Francisco counties and the state Department of Public Health.
“When you look at the rates of increase, you can see that it’s really approaching an exponential curve. And unfortunately, it’s going to become harder and harder to control the ... higher these numbers get,” said Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious-disease expert at UC San Francisco.
