Lompoc Valley Medical Center opened up appointments on Friday for immunocompromised individuals to receive a COVID-19 booster shot.
Third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech shots first became available in California on Monday, and the Santa Barbara County Public Health Department estimates that roughly 13,500 county residents are eligible to receive the additional dose.
To qualify for the third dose, people must complete a self-attestation form to show that they have been receiving an active cancer treatment for tumors or cancers of the blood, received an organ transplant and are taking medicine to suppress the immune system, received a stem cell transplant within the past two years or are taking medicine to suppress the immune system, have a moderate or severe primary immunodeficiency, have advanced or untreated HIV infection, or are on active treatment with high-dose corticosteroids or other drugs that may suppress the immune response.
“People who are immunocompromised in a manner similar to those who have undergone solid organ transplantation have a reduced ability to fight infections and other diseases. They are especially vulnerable to infections, including COVID-19,” according to the California Department of Public Health. “The administration of third vaccine doses has been shown to increase protection in this population.”
The third dose should be administered at least 28 days after completion of the primary vaccine series, and when possible, people should receive the third dose of the same vaccine manufacturer as their original series, according to the CDPH.
The state is no longer allocated vaccine doses from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, but it’s ordering them on an as-needed basis, according to the CDPH.
All residents age 12 or older who meet the qualifications can schedule an appointment to get a third shot at Lompoc Valley Medical Center, at 1515 E. Ocean Ave., using the state’s vaccine appointment database MyTurn, according to Nora Wallace, spokeswoman for the medical center.
The clinic was open Friday from 12:30 p.m. until 2:30 p.m. It will be available again Aug. 27 from 12:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. and every Friday until further notice, Wallace said.
With an increasing demand for first doses during the past two weeks compared with the previous five weeks, and with booster shots now available, Lompoc Valley Medical Center is preparing to ramp up the number of days and hours per week that the vaccination clinic operates, according to CEO Steve Popkin.
Additional booster shots will be available through all current vaccination channels, including health care providers, clinics, and neighborhood pharmacies, according to the CDPH.
Click here for more information on the COVID-19 booster shot.
Nearly 54% of Santa Barbara County’s population was fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus as of Thursday, and nearly 64% of eligible residents were fully vaccinated, according to the county’s Community Data Dashboard.
Friday’s COVID-19 Numbers
Santa Barbara County Public Health officials reported 102 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, with a total of 690 cases still considered to be infectious.
The seven-day average of daily new cases reported dropped nearly 7% for the week ending Friday when compared with the week prior, according to Noozhawk’s data tracking. The county has reported a daily average of nearly 112 new cases during the past week.
The number of COVID-19 patients receiving hospital care jumped to 72 on Friday, and 10 of those patients were being treated in intensive-care units.
There were no additional COVID-19-related fatalities reported on Friday, and the county’s cumulative death toll remained at 472. There have been eight coronavirus deaths reported in Santa Barbara County during the past two weeks.
Of the new cases reported on Friday, 32 were from the Santa Maria Valley and 26 were from the Lompoc Valley. Santa Barbara reported 19 new cases, the Goleta Valley added 12, the Montecito-Summerland-Carpinteria area logged four, the Santa Ynez Valley tallied three and Isla Vista reported one. There were five cases pending geographic location.
— Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at jmartinez-pogue@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
