LVMC Community Update, April 9, 2021

This week our CEO updates the community on COVID-19 and the status of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution.

Dear Lompoc Valley Community:

What happened on this date in history?

• 1963 - Winston Churchill became the first Honorary United States Citizen.
• 1968 – Martin Luther King Jr. was buried in Atlanta.
• 2012 – “The Lion King” became the highest-grossing Broadway show after overtaking “The Phantom of the Opera.”

Quote of the Week

“Success is peace of mind, which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you made the effort to become the best of which you are capable.” -John Wooden

COVID-19 Information

• As of March 8, all Covid “two-week average indicators” for Santa Barbara County are down/better than the prior two-week average. This includes New Covid Cases, Active Cases, Deaths, and Hospitalized Patients.
• The number of Covid positive inpatients at hospitals within Santa Barbara County remains about the same as last week. However, the number of inpatients is down and very low in South County and Central County. The number of inpatients in North County has “bounced around” a bit. LVMC currently has no Covid positive inpatients (excluding one patient who was Covid positive upon admission but is no longer considered positive.)
• There continues to be no Covid positive residents at the CCC.
• Santa Barbara County is still in the Red Tier. The County’s positivity rate easily meets the Orange Tier requirement, but Adjusted Case Rate and Health Equity Percentage are hovering just above (worse) than the Orange Tier requirement. So, unless things improve soon, we will need to wait until all of California “opens up” on June 15 (assuming another surge doesn’t happen between now and then).

Vaccine

• I would like to give a huge thank you to our “Blue Coat Volunteers” for helping make our Vaccination Clinics run efficiently and effectively. They are at LVMC countless days and countless hours and we couldn’t do it without them. Thank you to Martin Kaper; Janet Tieso; Glenda Garrard; Andy Staiano; Yvonne Cooper; Judy Langley; Linda Mcnutt; and Donna Brown. (More about our staff and other volunteers next week.)
• After applying assumptions that: 1) Santa Barbara County population is 445,000, 2) SB County population under age 16 equals 20% of the total population, 3) 30% of those eligible for vaccination will decline, and 4) vaccine doses administered are per the SBPHD website, my “unofficial estimates” are: 1) 37% of the Santa Barbara County population have received at least one vaccine dose, 2) 46% of the Santa Barbara County population age 16 and older have received at least one vaccine dose, and 3) 65% of the Santa Barbara County population who will ultimately be vaccinated have received at least one vaccine dose.
• This week LVMC administered second doses Monday through Wednesday. Yesterday and today we are administering the first doses of the Pfizer vaccine to those 16 and older.
• After the vaccination appointments of today are complete, all vaccination appointments at LVMC must be scheduled through the State’s MyTurn scheduling and registration system. To learn more and to register for an appointment, you may go online to myturn.ca.gov. If you have questions about the MyTurn system or do not have internet access, you may call 1-833-433-5255 to hear recorded information and/or speak with a representative.
• Those who requested an appointment at LVMC through our vaccination request email or phone number and have not had a first dose vaccination appointment by end of day Friday, April 9, will need to register for an appointment through MyTurn. I apologize for the inconvenience. Second dose appointments are not impacted. If you had your first dose at LVMC on or before April 9, simply return for your second dose on the date shown on the back of your Vaccination Record Card, at approximately the same time as your first dose appointment.
• Beginning Saturday, April 10, first dose appointments at LVMC may be scheduled through MyTurn for April 12 and 13. (Some appointments have already been scheduled for April 12 and 13 when MyTurn made LVMC live on the system prematurely. Those appointments are still valid.) Although Santa Barbara County has already opened up to 16+ without underlying medical conditions, the State will be doing so on April 15. Therefore the MyTurn system will also be doing so on April 15. So, the eligibility for the appointments at LVMC for April 12 and 13 will be anyone 50+ and anyone 16-49 with a qualifying medical condition.
• After April 12 and 13, the next first dose vaccination clinics at LVMC will be during the week of April 19. These appointments, since they will be after April 15, will be for anyone 16 years of age or older, regardless of health status. (In-between the dates of first dose clinics we will be administering second doses to those who received their first dose at LVMC.)
• At the moment, the MyTurn system is only allowing individuals to register for an appointment two days in advance of the appointment date (that may change from time to time). In addition, if you go to MyTurn and look for appointment availability at LVMC, and it is too early to register, LVMC will not appear as a vaccination option on MyTurn. Please do not be discouraged by that; keep checking MyTurn each day until you see appointment availability at LVMC (or email me and I will tell you when appointment registration will be open).
• We would love to do the vaccinations for all of our Lompoc Valley community members, but as the objective is to get vaccinated as soon as possible, please take advantage of any vaccination appointment available anywhere in Santa Barbara County (you won’t hurt our feelings)!
• The Santa Barbara County Public Health Department is deploying vaccination “strike forces” to vaccinate hard to reach individuals (such as homebound individuals, homeless individuals, agriculture workers, etc.) as well as groups with a high degree of vaccine hesitancy (for example, it has been reported that, for whatever reason, church congregation members as a whole have a higher than expected degree of vaccine hesitancy).
• I know that all the vaccination information and “rules” can be very confusing. Please feel free to email or call me at the address or phone number shown below; I will be happy to help if I can.

Thank you for your continued support, and 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