Another milestone morning in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic, as the Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University just reported that more than 4 million people have now died of confirmed cases of COVID 19.

That comes, as a new variant of the coronavirus has been spreading around the globe including here in the United States and here in Ohio.

The Delta variant was first detected in India, but is highly transmissible and can now be found in over 100 countries.

As of July 3, the latest date for which data was available, the Delta variant accounted for 51% of new Covid-19 cases in the US.

There are hotspots in the Midwest, particularly Missouri, Kansas, and Iowa where that percentage of new cases due to Delta is upwards of 80%.

The variant, as already noted - is a more transmissible mutation, and can manifest as more severe covid symptoms - but the good news, is that vaccinations are still your best bet for protection.

However, with so many people in the United States, and here in Ohio, still unvaccinated what does that mean for this emerging variant?

Should we be prepared to mask-up again? Should you put those summer plans on hold?

Today on the program we'll look at the Delta variant, what precautions to take, and the ramifications of its spread.

Later in the program, we assemble a panel of local politicos to discuss the race to fill Ohio's 11th Congressional district.

There has been a slew of national attention including high profile endorsements for the two front-runners, Nina Turner and Shontel Brown.

Guests:
- Daniel Culver, DO, Chair of pulmonary medicine, The Cleveland Clinic
- Ifeolu Claytor, Treasurer, Northeast Ohio Young Black Democrats & Political Action Chair, NAACP of Greater Cleveland, he's also a voter protection organizer
- ML Schultze, Reporter & Editor
- Tom Sutton, PhD, Professor of Political Science, Baldwin Wallace University