Adventist Health hospitals to honor COVID-19 victims Friday night

HANFORD, Calif. (KFSN) -- On Friday night at 8 pm, blue lights were to be cast on the front of four Adventist Health hospitals, including Hanford.

A moment of silence was also to be held.

All to remember the lives lost to COVID-19 in the Central Valley and across the country, on the one-year anniversary of California's first stay-at-home order.

"So we're just remembering them today," Dr. Gurvinder Kaur said. "We want to have a safe and a beautiful and a peaceful way to say today is the one-year anniversary."

Dr. Gurvinder Kaur, medical officer for Adventist Health in the Central Valley, says as of Friday, there are approximately 20 COVID-19 patients being treated at the four hospitals.

That's a dramatic decrease from the winter surge that overwhelmed many California medical facilities.

"We had more than 100, sometimes close to 150 patients that had COVID in the high surges of January," Kaur said.

Kaur says we're not out of the woods yet, and there are concerns surrounding spring break travel and gatherings.

But she believes the vaccine is our hope for brighter and healthier days ahead.

Adventist Health is now offering the shot to eligible patients at its clinics, including those with high-risk medical conditions.

As for hospital staff, Kaur says they're finally beginning to breathe easier.

"Our frontline (staff) has gone through a lot but now finally they're seeing the light at the end of the tunnel," Kaur said. "I thank them every day for the extra work that they took on during this time. This was not easy for anybody."