JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Although there have been no cases of the new COVID-19 variant omicron in Missouri or in the rest of the U.S., local health officials are continuing to monitor for it.
Last week, the World Health Organization classified omicron as a “variant of concern.” The variant was first discovered in South Africa and has been confirmed in several European countries, Canada, China and Israel.
Missouri state and local health officials said Tuesday they are monitoring lab and environmental results to identify any circulating variant in the community. In Missouri, the delta variant accounts for more than 99% of the COVID-19 variants.
To help with monitoring statewide, Missouri health care providers have been submitting specimens from eligible patients to the Missouri State Public Health Laboratory as part of the state’s variant surveillance program.
Another way health officials are checking for omicron is by testing wastewater.
Researchers at Mizzou have been partnering with the state health department and natural resources department for the last 18 months on the Coronavirus Sewershed Surveillance Project. They test samples from community wastewater facilities for the presence of the virus that causes COVID-19.
In February, the team was one of the first in the country to begin conducting sequence monitoring of wastewater samples, according to a news release. This allows researchers to identify if a variant is present.
Researchers said the project can provide early detection of an upcoming COVID-19 outbreak or emerging variants. The omicron variant has not been detected in wastewater samples at this time.
Marc Johnson is a Mizzou professor. His program tests nearly 70 samples of wastewater every day from 23 communities in the state.
"The omicron variant has 12 mutations, so it will stick out like a sore thumb if it arrives," Johnson said.
The tests can potentially detect the variant days before people test positive.
"We kind of have a comprehensive strategy to keep track of this specific variant and to understand how fast they spread." professor Chung-Ho Lin said.
Lin runs the lab where the samples are tested. The state's department of health and human services uses this information so they can alert the public.
“If the Omicron variant emerges in Missouri, the public health community has the resources available to identify it through the state’s extensive partnerships and monitoring systems, as has been done with other emerging variants,” said DHSS Director Donald Kauerauf.