The coronavirus pandemic has been part of our lives since March of 2020, but the virus is not the same as it was at the beginning of the outbreak. As with all viruses, the coronavirus is changing, creating variants of itself. In some cases, those variants are spreading quicker. The state's chief medical officer, Dr. Bruce Vanderhoff, has often discussed the spread of coronavirus variants in Ohio and how those variants make up an increasing share of the infections being treated in Ohio. Several hospitals in Ohio, including the Cleveland Clinic, are helping to track the spread of coronavirus variants.

The governor has frequently framed the potential for ending the pandemic health orders as a race between vaccines and the variants. But, as variants continue to mutate and vaccine demand appears to be slowing there is concern that so-called "herd immunity" may be out of reach here in the United States. This may mean the coronavirus never fully goes away and becomes another virus with which we have to contend.

The organization Starting Point has a new president and chief executive officer. On May 3, Nancy Mendez began her tenue at Starting Point. She succeeds the organization's late founder, Billie Osborne Fears, who died last September.

Starting Point connects families to early childhood education, childcare, and out of school programs in Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Ashtabula counties.

Mendez comes to the organization from the United Way of Greater Cleveland where she served as vice president of community investment and chief community investment officer.

Literature and poetry provide a vehicle to allow readers and listeners to understand and better appreciate the experiences of writers and poets.

A new online anthology published by Literary Cleveland seeks to amplify the experiences and perspectives of Black women in Greater Cleveland.

The "Black Women Coping in Cleveland" anthology features original essays and poems from 13 local writers.

Dr. Tisha Carter created the anthology to help empower, uplift, and celebrate marginalized communities by giving them a platform to tell their stories on their own terms.

Guests:
Daniel Rhoads, M.D., section head of microbiology, Cleveland Clinic
Nancy Mendez, president and CEO of Starting Point
Dr. Tisha Carter, coordinator, "Black Women Coping in Cleveland" anthology