The more contagious variant of the coronavirus first detected in the United Kingdom has now been found in two Maryland residents living in Anne Arundel County.

The Maryland Department of Health and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention confirmed Tuesday that one individual under 65 years of age arrived from travel abroad with the more contagious strain of the virus. That individual then infected their spouse, said Governor Larry Hogan during an afternoon press conference. The couple is currently in isolation with their children, and contact tracing is being conducted. Neither of the two have required hospitalizations.

Hogan said a private lab conducting the COVID-19 test “found some strange sequences that they didn’t understand, they didn’t know what to do with [them].” The lab sent it to the state’s public health lab where it was reviewed and the variant was confirmed.

During a meeting with CDC’s Director Dr. Robert Redfield on Monday, Hogan says he was informed that the UK variant of the virus is most likely in every state. (It was first discovered in Colorado late last year.)

“I know we are testing at five-times the national average,” Hogan says. “So we may have found it faster than other [states], but I think it’s everywhere across the country, and it’s much more contagious.”

The state health department says there is currently no evidence of additional transmissions of this strain of the virus, also known as B-117. The strain does not cause more severe illness or increased risk of death compared to other strains, and there is no evidence that the current COVID vaccines are less effective on it.

As of Tuesday morning, COVID-19 cases in Maryland and across the region have been soaring. There have been more than 312,000 positive cases in the state with a positivity rate of 8.77% and more than 6,100 deaths. On Friday and Saturday last week, Maryland recorded its second and third highest ever daily case counts at 3,792 and 3,758, respectively.

In Prince George’s County, the daily case and positivity rates are surpassing the state levels. The county recorded an all-time high average daily case rate of 55.17 on Sunday and an average positivity rate of 11.07%.