For the 12th week in a row, COVID-19 cases are on the rise in Ohio. According to the Ohio Department of Health, there are nearly four million reported cases statewide, up 8,000 cases just this past week. More than 280,000 of those exposed to COVID reside here in Cuyahoga County. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved an updated COVID-19 vaccine for everyone six months old and up. The new vaccine will protect against the circulating COVID variants and Americans can receive it now.
And later this hour, significant strides have been made in understanding how the COVID-19 virus works since the start of the pandemic. But one phenomenon continues to remain a mystery: long COVID.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 1 in 13 U.S. adults have long COVID symptoms. So, what does that mean?
Long COVID can affect individuals of all ages and presents through various unique symptoms. The most common include fatigue, brain fog, shortness of breath, headaches and body aches. These symptoms can last years and have forced many to leave their jobs and completely alter their way of life.
At The Ohio State University, a team of researchers are working to develop effective treatments and better understand the long-term consequences of the virus.
They recently received a $15 million federal grant from the NIH to find solutions to long COVID. This Tuesday, we will speak to the project lead about their progress thus far.
And finally this hour, we'll learn about an award-winning mystery series, called the Kate Burkholder series, by Northeast Ohio native, author Linda Castillo.
Guests:
-Donald Dumford, M.D., Infectious Disease Specialist, Cleveland Clinic Akron General Hospital
-Prakash Ganesh, M.D., Medical Director, Cuyahoga County Board of Health
-Amal Amer, M.D., Ph.D, Professor of microbial infection and immunity at The Ohio State University
-Anna Huntsman, Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
-Linda Castillo, Author, "The Burning"
