On Thursday, Governor Mike DeWine announced several new counties reaching level four, "the purple level,” in COVID-19 cases, which Summit and Medina Counties fall into that category.

Dr. Brian Harte is the president of one of the region’s biggest hospitals in Cleveland Clinic Akron General, and he joined the Ray Horner Morning Show to break down what he is seeing from his facilities. Dr. Harte says they have more than doubled their COVID-19 patients from its spring peak to between 90 and 100, and about a third to half of their ICU patients are related to the virus. They are also fearful of an inevitable spike in the coming days following the Thanksgiving holiday.

Dr. Harte praised his frontline staff, which has been stressed since the beginning of the pandemic. Though there is a light at the end of the tunnel with a vaccine, which Dr. Harte mentions in terms of preparation and distribution.