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Chula Vista resident Silvia Lemus had worked in the hospitality industry for more than 14 years before the novel coronavirus swept across the world, upending the industry and her life.
After being laid off and already struggling to keep up with bills while caring for their six children, Lemus and her husband Luis Mendoza both contracted the virus early last year. After 63 days in the hospital, on a ventilator in the intensive care unit, her 51-year-old husband lost his life to the virus on June 30.
Months after recovering herself, Lemus continues to experience a lingering cough and a pressure on her chest, and she worries what would happen to her and her kids if she were to once again contract the virus.