On The Sound of Ideas, we start today with what Governor Mike DeWine called, "the red tide" in yesterday's news conference. The reference is to the continuing increase of COVID-19 cases in Ohio, with no signs of stopping; or even slowing.
The total cases diagnosed here surpassed 200,000 this week, with 82 of our 88 counties now classified as having high incidence spread.
Hospitalizations are trending upwards, including people going into intensive care and on ventilators, and are increasing much faster than in June and earlier during the pandemic.
Governor DeWine said that we're not at the point where hospitals are overflowing, but that the ongoing trend is not good news.
Tuesday also featured an update on voting from Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who spoke of record numbers of absentee ballots requested this year - 3.2 million. And there has been a record number of mail ballots returned of more than 2 million so far.
Here to discuss the pandemic and voting is Ohio Public Radio Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Karen Kasler, in Columbus.
-Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio
-Mike McIntyre, Executive Editor, ideastream
-Larry Andersen, Filmmaker, Divided We Fall: Unity Without Tragedy
-Tom Cosgrove, Filmmaker, Divided We Fall: Unity Without Tragedy
-Khadijah Ameen, “Divided We Fall” participant
-Joe Thibodeau, “Divided We Fall” participant
-Amy Sabath, "One Small Step" participant
-Stephanie Nunley, "One Small Step" participant
