Dr. Jay Varma, an epidemiologist and a former senior health advisor during the de Blasio administration, told Errol Louis on "Inside City Hall" Friday he believes the "incredibly disappointing" response to monkeypox by federal government has led to a rate of infections that could have been avoided with tools already available to officials.

"It's definitely the fear that I have. The more we're seeing it, it's more likely to happen," Varma said. "If we don't really get ahead of this, then we are going to fall further behind and it will become a permanent part of our disease landscape."

Varma also discussed the surge in COVID-19 cases in the city, the failures he sees in the city's response to the latest numbers, and how he hopes elected officials will treat public health policy in the future.