Santa Maria, Lompoc Medical Centers Welcome First Arrivals of COVID-19 Vaccine
Frontline health care workers receive their initial doses amid a festive atmosphere signaling a turning point in the pandemic
As colleagues capture the moment, Dr. Lisa Ryan raises her arms in celebration after receiving the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on Thursday afternoon in a tent set up in a parking lot at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria. (Janene Scully / Noozhawk photo) By Janene Scully, Noozhawk North County Editor | @JaneneScully
December 17, 2020
| 8:42 p.m.
Cheers, applause and even chants of “shot, shot, shot” marked the delivery of the first COVID-19 vaccines amid a festive atmosphere Thursday in a parking lot at Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria.
As Santa Barbara County and the state experience a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations this winter, leaders at local hospitals are gaining a clearer understanding of the virus and what contributes to severity of the disease as they prepare for the arrival of vaccines.Â
At Marian Regional Medical Center in Santa Maria, which maintains substantial ICU capacity and personal protective equipment for the time being, staff expect to receive approximately 1,900 doses from Pfizer to begin vaccinating the first round of Marian s 3,200 health care workers next week.Â
To discuss the vaccine process, ICU capacity and what doctors are learning about local COVID-19 patients, the Santa Maria Times spoke with top medical officials from Marian Regional, who also work for neighboring Dignity Health sites French Hospital Medical Center and Arroyo Grande Community Hospital.Â