Governor Larry Hogan is urging Marylanders to get vaccinated against COVID-19 as the first confirmed cases of the Omicron variant is confirmed in the U.S. During an update yesterday afternoon, Hogan said getting vaccinated and boosted is the best line of defense. He urged Marylanders “not to panic,” saying the state has one of the strongest variant surveillance systems in the country. Omicron was first reported in South Africa. The first confirmed case in the U.S. was identified yesterday in California.