Merle Gordon

Cleveland's health commissioner Persis Sosiak is stepping down. Her last day will be Friday. She was the commissioner of the division of health for four years, which included work on the city’s COVID-19 response.

Cleveland has seen a spike in new coronavirus cases in June, public health officials told city council on Monday. For 103 new patients, initial symptoms trace back to the third week of June, according to a city health department presentation. That was a jump over the prior two weeks, but below symptom onset numbers for earlier in May. The city reported 75 new cases on Sunday, the biggest daily increase in Cleveland's case count to date. Health Director Merle Gordon said those numbers were not reflected in her presentation to city council.