Officials are expanding COVID-19 testing capacity as the omicron variant became the dominant strain of the coronavirus in Maryland, Gov. Larry Hogan announced Wednesday.
The governor announced Wednesday that sequencing data shows omicron is the dominant variant in Maryland. According to the state's lab partners, 88.5% of all recently analyzed samples tested positive for the omicron variant. And, of those samples that were hospitalized, 91.4% have the omicron variant.
"We continue to learn more and more about the omicron variant every day," Baltimore City Health Commissioner Dr. Letitia Dzriasa said. "What we do know is that is spreads quicker or is more easily transmitted from person to person."