THE BEST OF THE BEST IN OHIO Check out the All-Chronicle-Telegram wrestling teams, Biden talks gun violence, including wrestler and coach of the year, C3 expanding ‘Obamacare,’ A7 WEDNESDAY, March 24, 2021 $1.25 LORAIN COUNTY PUBLIC HEALTH Vaccine demand still exceeds supply Dylan Reynolds ing anyone 16 and older to get the shot anyone that is not in that approved Despite the minimum age for the Lorain County Office on Aging The Chronicle-Telegram if they are struggling to fill appoint- category until after March 29,” Covell receiving a vaccine lowering soon, and El Centro de Servicios Sociales Lorain County Public Health con- ments. DeWine said Monday it is an told the Lorain County Community Covell said older adults who still hav- can offer assistance to those seeking tinues to have no problems filling its effort to prevent doses from “just sit- Protection Team in a virtual meeting. en’t scheduled an appointment should appointments. COVID-19 vaccine appointments and ting there.” When eligibility does expand, Covell not worry that they’ve been passed by. Covell said that due to an expected will not need to open clinics early to Vaccine eligibility is set to expand to said Lorain County Public Health will “If they just haven’t had their shot increase in vaccine supply through everyone ages 16 and older, county anyone ages 16 and up on March 29, not vaccinate minors without parental yet, there is going to be enough vac- April, he is anticipating that anyone health Commissioner David Covell regardless of how many appointments or guardian permission. He said Tues- cine coming over the next few weeks who wants a shot will be able to read- said Tuesday. with health departments and other day that just a dozen 16- and 17-year- that they’re going to have that oppor- ily schedule an appointment by early Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has given providers are filled. olds had signed up for clinics that are tunity,” he said, adding that partners May. vaccine providers the option of allow- “We are plenty full. We don’t need set to take place in April. like the Lorain Public Library System, See VACCINE, A3 REFLECTIONS ON THE PANDEMIC Nurse had COVID in first wave; 11 months later, she still suffers Rini Jeffers The Chronicle-Telegram Join us throughout this month When she first got sick, Trena Richardson thought as we look back at this perilous it was her mask. year, and we share glimpses of At the time, the licensed practical nurse was wear- ing an n95 at her job at a nursing home. She took those from our community whom care of short-term rehabilitation patients and prob- we lost and the effects the ably half of them had COVID-19. It was April last first pandemic in most of our year, about six weeks after the state was effectively lifetimes had on those living shut down and facilities such as hers were being rav- aged by infection rates. in Lorain County. Richardson, 47, remembers walking down the hall and noticing she was short of breath. maybe 20 feet from my living room to my bathroom “Those masks are tight and fitted and I chalked it and I was panting, trying to get my breath, to go that up to that,” she said. far,” she said. “Of course the nurse is the one not to She went home to sleep, waking in the middle of do what they are supposed to do, right? If it had been the night and telling her husband, Paul, that she had anyone else, I would have said go to the hospital.” bronchitis. During the worst times, she would pray. At one “I chalked it up to April, a spring allergy kind of point, she wrote out for her husband a list of things thing,” the Grafton resident said, but within hours she did not want if she ended up in the hospital. she texted her boss to tell her she had COVID-19. “I said I don’t know what’s going to happen. You “I went from having a minor cough to feeling con- tell everyone it’s going to be OK, and you call your gested and being very short of breath, looking for an mom and tell her you’re fine, but I was sitting there inhaler, can’t walk to the bathroom without losing and this is literally the sickest I’ve ever been in my my breath.” whole life. There were times I could not get air. I’d At that time, health care workers were being swabbed for the virus if symptomatic while tests for pray, ‘Please Lord, don’t let me die.’” the general public were still hard to get. Less than 24 Within two weeks, she was back to work. hours after leaving her shift, she was tested. In two Soon, though, other bewildering symptoms began days, her results were in. She was positive. to appear. By that time, she had lost her sense of taste and It started with pain in her joints. smell. A pulse oximeter showed her oxygen level was Prior to COVID-19, Richardson suffered from pso- plummeting to the low 80s. riasis, an autoimmune disorder that largely affects “If your oxygen level is under 92 percent, you skin but can also cause more widespread issues, really should be calling the doctor. At 90 percent, but she was on monthly injections that kept it con- I should have been in the hospital. But I refused. I trolled. Suddenly it came back with a vengeance. wouldn’t go. This was way back in April. They were “I was a bedside nurse, I was lifting, pushing, pull- putting people on ventilators and they weren’t com- ing. I had minor aches and pains, that’s part of psori- ing off,” she said. “I was like, as long as I’m breathing, asis, and I’m 47. But I didn’t have significant issues,” I’m staying home.” she said. Her husband got sick, too. He was not tested but By October she was in so much pain she couldn’t was considered “suspected confirmed” because he use her thumb. A cortisone shot relieved it some, lived with someone who tested positive and because but soon after her wrist and elbow were swelling, of his symptoms, though the virus attacked them soon followed by an index finger. Eventually doctors differently. In his case, he suffered higher fevers than her moderate ones but was hit with body aches and diagnosed it as psoriatic arthritis, a serious immune pains so severe they scared him. Her illness seemed response from COVID-19. to attack her breathing. She spent two weeks mov- “COVID caused my body to freak out and it started ing from bed to recliner, lying on her stomach and attacking itself,” she explained. “Having any kind of ANGELO ANGEL / CHRONICLE changing positions every few hours to avoid pneu- sickness, your body kind of goes haywire but with Trena Richardson, a licensed practical nurse, had COVID-19 last April. monia. COVID … it’s amazing. It’s life-altering.” Her mobility, sense of taste and smell, and her breathing remain impaired. “There were several days it was really bad. There’s See NURSE, A3 ELYRIA Team Kareem donates $1,000 to tee ball club Laina Yost experience. The Chronicle-Telegram It’s always been in the back of his ELYRIA — The South Tee Ball Club head to create a program for South received a donation from Team Kareem Elyria kids to have baseball again. Bow- in its quest to return baseball to Elyria’s ens said with COVID-19 hopefully eas- ing in the summer, it was a “no brainer” South side. to bring it back. Team Kareem presented a $1,000 T-ball will lay the foundation of base- check to the organization Tuesday to go ball skills for kids, Bowens said, but it toward gear for the kids. will also teach life skills. Bowens said it South Tee Ball Club organizer Aric teaches about showing up on time and Bowens grew up playing for Little taking care of equipment. League South, and he brought his own The Elyria YWCA has come on as a son up in Little League West. sponsor for the program. Executive But for the past couple of decades, Director Jeanine Donaldson said it Little League has been missing from directly aligns with the YWCA’s racial KRISTIN BAUER / CHRONICLE South Elyria. Bowens said there’s a gen- equity goals. Jeanine Donaldson, executive director of the YWCA for Elyria; Aric Bowens; Stephanie Riggins-Kimbro; eration of kids who have missed the See DONATES, A2 and Deltrin Kimbro stand for a photo after Riggins-Kimbro and Kimbro presented a $1,000 check. High of 76. Low of 50. ACCENT ......... B3-5 BUSINESS ...... A6-7 COMICS ......... C6-7 OBITUARIES .......B2 BREEZY, Forecast on A8 INDEX ADVICE ...............B5 CLASSIFIEDS .....C8 LOTTERY ............A2 OPINION ......... A4-5 WARM WWW.CHRONICLET.COM cyan A1 magenta A1 yellow A1 black A1 A2 Wednesday, March 24, 2021 FROM PAGE ONE The Chronicle-Telegram school within the boundaries DONATES of the South Recreational Cen- From A1 ter to participate. It will be a noncompeti- Donaldson said baseball has tive program. Volunteers and Rock Hall to celebrate been gone from South Elyria coaching staff will undergo for a long time, even while background checks. other sides of the city have had Coaches with the program it. have had various experience Because the games will be at mentoring, coaching and play- Elyria’s South Park, Donaldson ing baseball.