Kentucky High School Baseball Coach Loses COVID Battle at 47

A 47-year-old high school baseball coach in Lexington, Kentucky, has succumbed to COVID-19 after being hospitalized with the virus, school administrators announced Friday. “Our hearts are broken as we share the news that we have lost our beloved Coach Erinn Thompson,” East Jessamine High School officials said on Facebook. “He fought every inning but lost the battle.” It is unknown if Thompson was vaccinated. On Dec. 23, people from the area, including Thompson’s wife and sons, congregated at the school’s baseball field for a vigil. “I just want to tug on the end of God’s garment and just pray for Erinn Thompson to be healed,” East Jessamine High School Principal Chris Hawboldt said at the gathering. “That’s what I want most of all. And I believe God can do it.” Attendees then walked the bases seven times, “similar to the biblical story of Jericho, symbolizing their prayer to knock down Thompson’s illness and bring him home,” reported the Lexington Herald-Leader.