Looking forward to a brighter year in 2021
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday with your families. 2020 was a rollercoaster that is thankfully behind us, and I’m certainly looking forward to a brighter road ahead as we charge forward in 2021.
Glimmers of hope continue to come our way — from the continued vaccinations of our frontline healthcare workers, veteran inpatients and skilled nursing home residents throughout San Bernardino County to California’s lowest unemployment rate since March 2020. And families can look forward to the state’s promise to resume in-person learning by February.
As of Tuesday, the County had administered 45 percent of our vaccine allocation, which is far ahead of most of the state and to be commended. Much credit goes to our Public Health staff for their tireless work in rolling out the vaccine.
On Dec. 23, Loma Linda VA Hospital began administering the COVID-19 vaccine to health care personnel and veteran inpatients in Community Living Centers and Spinal Cord Injury and Disorder Centers. That same day, Weed Army Community Hospital at Fort Irwin began vaccinating healthcare workers and staff. And this Thursday, Jan. 7, the Barstow Veterans Home will begin administering the Pfizer vaccine to its veteran residents in coordination with CVS Pharmacy.
“Vaccinating our VA healthcare personnel helps us continue providing care for veterans,” said San Bernardino County Veterans Affairs Director Frank Guevara. “After this group, the vaccine will be offered to veterans who are at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19. They are currently allowing veterans to sign up for the vaccine.” Active military can view the Department of Defense’s rollout schema here.
A new tool will soon be provided on the County’s COVID-19 website for the public to see where they fall in the line for vaccination.
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On a separate note, I’d like to take this time to congratulate Supervisor Curt Hagman, who was re-elected as our County’s Chairman of the Board, and newly elected Vice Chair Supervisor Dawn Rowe. I know both Supervisor Hagman and Supervisor Rowe are deeply committed to serving our county residents, and they’ll do a wonderful job leading us in the year ahead. I wish them all the best as they continue to guide us through the many challenges facing our county.