Omicron BA.2 COVID variant detected in Missouri

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The new omicron sub-lineage known as BA.2 has been detected in Missouri's sewage.

According to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services maps, both the omicron BA.1 and BA.2 lineages have been found in wastewater monitoring, including wastewater in Columbia, Eldon and Jefferson City during the week of March 14.

The department collects its data weekly. The Centralia treatment plant has not reported any of its findings since Jan. 31. Ashland hasn't reported its findings since Feb. 21.

The Sewershed Surveillance Project, the project was started as a collaborative effort between different health departments to track the genetic material from the COVID-19 virus through wastewater. This project was planned to be the new method of monitoring the spread and trends of the virus in communities.

The project has proved useful during the pandemic, sometimes predicting surges in particular variants before positive cases were diagnosed.

The omicron variant can spread easier compared to both the original COVID-19 and delta variants, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Omicron has been shown to spread rapidly between both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.

"It came to the U.S and it swept the U.S quietly. So we watched it move through Missouri. I mean we could just see it moving down the interstate sewershed to sewershed, it would move, it would displace the other virus, but it never caused a spike in cases, or a spike in wastewater, and that's the way BA.2 is behaving," said Marc Johnson, professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at MU.

Missouri, like other states, saw a massive increase in new cases and hospitalizations during the omicron-powered surge this winter. The surge also made January one of the deadliest months of the pandemic in Missouri.

The surge has since subsided, with cases and hospitalizations dropping far below those peaks. Missouri reported 426 new cases Tuesday -- far below the thousands per day reported in that winter surge.

BA.2 can show no symptoms or can present similar symptoms to its predecessor variants. Health conditions, age, prior infection history and COVID-19 vaccination status can all play a factor in the severity of the symptoms brought on by BA.2.

Compared to the original COVID-19 virus, and the Delta variant, Omicron infection generally causes a more mild illness. Some may still experience a severe illness that may result in hospitalization and could lead to death, especially those who are not vaccinated according to the CDC.

"So it's definitely here, so what that means is that we still need to stay on our guard, and watch for those community transmission rates to change," said Dr. Laura Morris, with MU Health Care. 

The COVID-19 vaccine is still considered the best public health defense against the virus and can prevent other new variants from forming. Existing treatments for COVID-19 are currently being tested against the new variants, and some monoclonal antibody treatments have had success against omicron.