Queen Anne’s County Discovers First Two Cases of the UK Variant
Queen Anne’s County discovers first two cases of the more contagious B.1.1.7 variant of COVID-19 this week also known as the UK variant.
Although not the first in Maryland this is the first two cases detected in Queen Anne’s County.
“We are urging all of our residents to continue practicing social distancing and safety measures such as handwashing and wearing a mask. It is important to get vaccinated as soon as it becomes available to you.” says Dr. Ciotola
Experts believe the UK variant to become the most dominant strain in the United States by the end of March.
The first two cases in Maryland were discovered in Anne Arundel county in mid-January. Both individuals had recently traveled abroad to multiple continents.
The cases in Queen Anne’s County are still being investigated by contact tracers but have not indicated that they have traveled abroad.
Queen Anne’s County Health Department, testing methods can detect the UK variant in their current testing methods. Testing is offered on Tuesdays at the Health Department from 9:00am-12:00pm with no appointment needed but is dependent on weather and supplies.
At the end of the day, February 23, Queen Anne’s County has reported a total of 3,341 positive cases of COVID since March 2020 and has given 3,808 first doses of the Moderna vaccine. For more information and the latest statistics visit qahealth.org or qaccovid.org