Maryland has its 1st case of COVID-19 caused by new Brazil variant

Health officials confirmed Wednesday evening that Maryland has seen its first case of COVID-19 caused by the new P.1 variant, more commonly known as the Brazil variant.

The variant is believed to be more transmissible than the original virus strain, according to a news release from the governor's office, but it is not known yet whether the P.1 variant causes more severe disease compared to other common variants.

The case was identified in an adult over the age of 65 from the National Capital Region, who died after international travel. The Maryland Department of Health confirmed the variant's presence in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contact tracing is underway to ensure that potential contacts are identified, quarantined and tested.

The new variant is one of the predominant strains in Brazil and was identified in the United States at the end of January. The news release shows current diagnostic tests are expected to detect this variant, but scientists are working to learn more about how effective vaccines are against it.

More:'It's like we're trying our best to help the virus'. A fourth wave is looming if US fails to contain COVID-19 variants, experts say

More:Maryland RELIEF stimulus checks are coming this week. What you need to know

“State public health officials are closely monitoring the P.1 variant, and we mourn the loss of this Marylander to COVID-19. As we continue to test for these variants, we strongly encourage Marylanders to continue taking precautions to keep themselves and their loved ones safe, including mask wearing, regular hand washing and physical distancing,” Gov. Larry Hogan said in a statement.

The Brazil variant is the third variant of concern found in Maryland — the UK variant came first on Jan. 12 and the South Africa variant later that month.

Though this case involves a person with a recent history of travel, many cases involving variants of concern have not been connected to travel. Health officials emphasize that's indicative of community transmission, reinforcing the need for people to follow public health precautions.