COVID-19 vaccine arrives. Torrance Memorial, Providence Little Company of Mary medical staffs get first shot
Torrance Memorial staff, including CEO Craig Leach (right) celebrate the arrival of the COVID-19 vaccine. Photos courtesy of Torrance Memorial
Providence Little Company of Mary and Torrance Memorial medical centers have received supplies of the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine and will begin administering the vaccine to their medical staffs this week, the creation of this vaccine is one of the biggest medical innovations in the last years.
Providence Little Company of Mary will begin administering the vaccine Thursday morning, Dec. 17, the hospital’s communications Director Andrew Werts announced Wednesday.
Torrance Memorial will begin administering the vaccine to its medical staff on Sunday, its Communication Director Erin Fiorito announced Wednesday.
The vaccine’s arrival coincides with the Thanksgiving-triggered surge of COVID-19 patients.
On Monday, Providence Little Company of Mary had just one vacant ICU bed. Torrance Memorial had just 12.
On Wednesday, Providence Little Company reported having 113 COVID-19 patients, and 31 at its San Pedro hospital. By comparison, Providence Little Company’s COVID-19 patient count peaked at 86 during the April surge.
The vaccine arrived in unmarked trucks.
Providence reported 1,100 patients at its 11 Southern California hospitals, more than double the 420 patients it had during the surge that followed Fourth of July celebrations.
The Beach Cities, which are served by the two hospitals, have been similarly impacted.
Manhattan Beach reported 99 new COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks; Hermosa Beach reported 100 new cases for the same period and Redondo Beach 265. The number of Beach City cases are increasing at double November’s pre Thanksgiving Day rate.
Confirmed COVID-19 cases experienced a sharp uptick this wee in the Beach Cities: Chart by Bernard Wong (Subliminal Machines.com) Source: Los Angeles County Health Department
Officials have not announced when the vaccine will be available for the general public.
Los Angeles County is scheduled to receive 83,000 doses of the vaccine this week, Redondo Beach City Attorney Mike Webb told the Redondo City Council at Tuesday’s council meeting. Recipients must receive two doses of the vaccine.
Medical staffs are being given first priority for the vaccine because of their daily exposure to COVID-19 patients and the danger that infected medical workers will transmit the disease to the broader population. ER