ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Larry Hogan on Tuesday announced that UK variant of COVID-19 has been detected in Maryland. The strain is commonly known as B-117.

The governor stated that two individuals (a couple) from Anne Arundel have been diagnosed with the variant.  One of the individuals had recently returned from travel abroad.

The two individuals are now in isolation and contact tracing has begun.

The patient was initially tested at a private lab, which later shared the information with the State Public Health Laboratory.

Maryland health officials have also consulted with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Our state health officials are closely monitoring the emergence of the B-117 strain of SARS-CoV-2 in the state,” said Governor Hogan. “We encourage Marylanders to practice caution to limit the additional risk of transmission associated with this strain. It is critically important that we all continue to follow standard public health and safety measures, including mask wearing, regular hand washing, and social distancing.”

Public Health England says there is currently no evidence to suggest current COVID-19 vaccines would not protect against the mutated virus variants, according to U.S. News.

To date, the CDC has identified 72 cases of COVID-19 caused by the B-117 strain in the United States.