BALTIMORE — Scientists are increasingly focused on identifying variants of the coronavirus that could potentially wreak havoc in Maryland and the nation.
The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that there are spikes in cases in Baltimore and other Maryland counties that are tied to the variant first reported in the United Kingdom.
That variant is now the most dominant in Maryland and the U.S. It is considered to be highly infectious. But studies have shown that vaccines can fight against it.
State officials have approved emergency contracts with the University of Maryland, Baltimore, and the Johns Hopkins University to study the genetic makeup of virus samples taken from infected people.
The work should help to identify variants.
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