Maryland to double mass COVID vaccination sites as Hogan,

health officials warn of threat of virus variants.

'Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday the state would double the number of state-run mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics by mid-April, while offering a new warning about the spread of coronavirus variants.

As he unveiled plans to open mass immunization sites in six of the state’s most populous counties, the Republican governor rebranded the inoculation effort “as a race between the vaccines and the variants.”

One of Hogan’s top coronavirus advisers, Dr. David Marcozzi, urged residents to remain vigilant as the B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the United Kingdom, spreads faster throughout the community. He said residents should be watchful for gastrointestinal symptoms that have been tied to the more contagious mutation of the virus.

“Unfortunately, it appears that B.1.1.7, that variant, is spreading even more easily between us and making us sicker, which is concerning,” said Marcozzi, the COVID-19 incident commander for the University of Maryland Medical System. “Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are particularly notable complaints if someone is infected with B.1.1.7 variant, especially children and younger adults.”

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan announced Tuesday the state would double the number of state-run mass COVID-19 vaccination clinics by mid-April, while offering a new warning about the spread of coronavirus variants.

As he unveiled plans to open mass immunization sites in six of the state’s most populous counties, the Republican governor rebranded the inoculation effort “as a race between the vaccines and the variants.”

One of Hogan’s top coronavirus advisers, Dr. David Marcozzi, urged residents to remain vigilant as the B.1.1.7 variant, first discovered in the United Kingdom, spreads faster throughout the community. He said residents should be watchful for gastrointestinal symptoms that have been tied to the more contagious mutation of the virus.

“Unfortunately, it appears that B.1.1.7, that variant, is spreading even more easily between us and making us sicker, which is concerning,” said Marcozzi, the COVID-19 incident commander for the University of Maryland Medical System. “Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are particularly notable complaints if someone is infected with B.1.1.7 variant, especially children and younger adults.” . .

Hogan noted Maryland’s morbid milestone of eclipsing 8,000 coronavirus deaths Tuesday, and said the state passed 400,000 infections a day earlier and has seen almost 37,000 people hospitalized with the disease. Weeks after lifting many restrictions, he also acknowledged some key metrics had seen a plateau, likely attributable to the spread of mutations.'>>>

https://www.capitalgazette.com/coronavirus/bs-md-additional-mass-vaccination-sites-20210323-ed7wwmhkfzffhjaywrwfc45kzi-story.html?