Lompoc Valley Medical Center reports no COVID-19 patients as cases drop in Santa Barbara County

LOMPOC, Calif. –  As the number of COVID-19 cases drops in Santa Barbara County, hospitals report the number of hospitalizations related to the virus has also gone down.

Currently, the Lompoc Valley Medical Center CEO said his hospital are doing quite well in terms of COVID-related patients.

As of Thursday, no one is being treated for the novel coronavirus.

The good news is, it's been that way for a few weeks now.

CEO Steve Popkin said Lompoc Valley Medical has had its peaks from time to time. At its height, 14 patients were being treated for COVID.

Doctors and nurses say they have learned a lot about this virus during the ups and downs of the pandemic and are prepared for future cases.

“Right now, things have settled down,” said Popkin. “Luckily we’ve had the chance to learn from all of our experiences and the staff are doing well with PPE and with protocols. We are fortunate to not have any positive patients right now.”

What the hospital does recommend is for the public to get their flu shot,

to avoid what they call a “double pandemic”. They are concerned about hospitals being overwhelmed if flu season is bad as a second wave of coronavirus arrives.

You can ask your primary care doctor for more info on how to get a flu shot, the public health department has been doing flu shot clinics this week. Many pharmacies have them available as well.