LVMC Community Update, December 31, 2020

This week our CEO updates the Lompoc Community on the COVID vaccines, new COVID cases, and COVID hospitalizations.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?

• 1972 - Baseball great Roberto Clemente died in an airplane crash en route to Nicaragua with relief supplies collected for earthquake survivors.
• 1991 - TheSoviet Unionlegally ceased to exist, Russia and other former Soviet republics had declared themselves independent and having founded theCommonwealth of Independent States.
• 2019 - TheWorld Health Organization first learned of “viral pneumonia” cases in Wuhan, China; the disease was later determined to beCOVID-19, which of course became a global pandemic the following

COVID-19 Information

• Vaccines
  • LVMC received its first Pfizer vaccine allocation on December 17 and began administering vaccinations the same day. Subsequently, we received two allocations of the Moderna vaccine.
  • To date, LVMC has vaccinated all of its healthcare workers who have consented to being vaccinated. In addition, we have vaccinated eligible residents of our Comprehensive Care Center. We have also vaccinated some eligible healthcare workers from our local area who are not affiliated with LVMC. In total, we have vaccinated approximately 650 individuals. We are now preparing for receipt and administration of the second doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines.
  • Adverse reactions to both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been very minimal. We are not aware of any serious reactions or side effects among the 650 individuals who received the vaccine at LVMC.
  • Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is working diligently and cooperatively with Vaccination Program Providers, like LVMC. We are all eagerly awaiting the time at which we can provide vaccinations for other essential workers, high-risk individuals, and the public at large. We have not yet been given definitive dates for this to occur.
• New Covid Cases.
  • This week (the seven-day period ending 12/31/20) there were 118 new Covid cases in the Lompoc Valley. This compares to 321 in Santa Barbara and 564 in Santa Maria. Even after accounting for population differences, the Lompoc Valley had a significantly lower rate of new Covid cases than the other areas. Keep in mind, however, that historically the Covid trends for the Lompoc Valley lag the trends of the other areas by 2-3 weeks. So, although our rate of new Covid cases is low right now (the definition of low keeps changing), it is difficult to predict where we will be in a few weeks.
• Covid Hospitalizations.
  • I wish I had some good news with which to end the year; regrettably, I don’t. Just a few weeks ago, the hospital bed and ICU bed capacity in Santa Barbara County was much better than in the greater Los Angeles area. That is no longer the case. Depending on the day and time, the hospital bed and ICU bed capacity in Santa Barbara County is near capacity. The issue is more a lack of nurse and clinical staffing than it is a lack of physical beds. The number of Covid positive inpatients at hospitals within Santa Barbara County is now approximately 148, with 34 in ICU. This compares to 111 with 23 in ICU on December 18 (which at the time was significantly higher than the week before). On a bit of a positive note, only 6 of the 148 Covid positive inpatients are at LVMC (we went up to 11 recently, but are now back down to 6). The “experts” have been predicting that January will be a tough month, and then we should see improvement. Of course, that is a sweeping generalization, but for lack of much else to rely on, let’s plan on that—by quarter two of 2021, on the road to recovery!

Donations

A huge thank you to the following businesses and individuals who have made donations of Personal Protective Equipment and supplies, food for our healthcare workers, and other acts of kindness. You are all very much appreciated!! (Ones in bold are new since the last listing.) Wild West Pizza & Grill; George Stillman; Dr. Connie Chan; Vandenberg Village Lions; Direct Relief; Albertson’s Store #3171--and those individuals who participated with Albertson’s; Northrop Grumman; Southwest Carpenters Union; INTO THE AM CLOTHING LLC-Matt Marchione; Kathy Milham; Kimberly Todd; Vons Market; Celeste Dugré; Subway; Sleep Center; Doreen Ross; Lompoc Pizza Hut; Superior Home Health; Miguelito Elementary School; Cajun Kitchen; La Purisima Mission Mask Makers; Advanced Performance Physical Therapy; SONOS; Pickle & Peanut Restaurants Inc.; Jordano’s; Lompoc Little Caesar’s Pizza; Victoria Perez; Diana Coronado; Firework Foundation; The Daily Grind; Industrial Eats; Vivid Financial Management; Christine Collier; David Carey DDS; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; Sue McIntyre; McDonalds; Hilton Garden Inn; Anita Macias; a collaboration of 18 wineries--Alma Rosa, Ampelos, Chanin, Fiddlehead, Flying Goat, Garcia, Kings Carey, Kita, Longoria, Loring, Pali, Piedrasassi, Sandhi, Santa Barbara Winery, Sea Smoke, Sweetzer, Temperance and Transcendence; CoastHills Credit Union; CenCal Health; Dunn School; American Host; Kateri and Chris Kingsley; Katherine Milham; Sweet Bliss Sugar Scrubs and Co.; Carol Kirkland; Dr. Iris Radler; Donna Bommersbach; Patricia Henry; Nancy Manes; Annamie Lafferty; Marilyn Romine; Courtney & Mitch Barnham; Ida Kreds; Ingrid Kaper; Judy Carpenter; Space X; Lompoc Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Santa Barbara Foundation; Lompoc Hospital District Foundation; Lompoc Unified School District; Lompoc YMCA; Floriano’s Mexican Food; Circle K; Keller Williams Realty of Lompoc; Girl Scouts of Lompoc; Arbonne independent distributors; Orcutt Bakery; Northrop Grumman; L3Harris Technologies; Astrotech Corp.; Harbor Freight; Home Depot; Direct Relief; Heath Dental; CHC Dental; Mikowicz Dental; Kimberly Nails; Not Alone Plumbing; Artisan Uprising Winery/Azeo Distillery; Starbuck’s Store 496; Tom’s Burgers; Super Grill; Sign Gypsies Central Coast.

Thank you all for your continued support, and to everyone, best wishes for a Safe, Healthy, and Happy New Year!!

As always, please feel free to contact me at popkins@lompocvmc.com or (805) 737-3301. Until next time, be well and stay safe!

Steve Popkin

Chief Executive Officer