Omicron variant confirmed in Joplin, spreading quickly through state

Joe Hadsall, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
·3 min read

Dec. 27—The omicron variant of COVID-19 has been confirmed in Joplin and many other parts of Missouri. The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services made the announcement Monday.

Joplin's Turkey Creek Wastewater Facility is one of 32 treatment plants where wastewater testing revealed the presence of the new variant.

More than half of the locations tested statewide last week — 32 of 57 — showed signs of the omicron variant, according to state officials.

A week ago, 15 of 63 locations had samples where the virus was detected; the week before that, only two locations revealed it. The first case of omicron to be identified in Missouri was confirmed Dec. 5 in the St. Louis area.

That indicates that the variant is spreading quickly across the state.

The 32 treatment plants with positive confirmations in the latest round of testing are located all over the state, including in the Kansas City and St. Louis metro areas, Nixa, Cape Girardeau, Branson and Columbia.

"The existence of the omicron variant is becoming much more prevalent each week," said Donald Kauerauf, director of DHSS, in a statement. "(That makes) the actions of COVID-19 individual testing, vaccination and other mitigation measures more important as we already face the threats of the Delta variant and an increase in flu cases."

Wastewater sampling has become a common way to track the presence of COVID variants, but it is not a new strategy, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Wastewater surveillance also was used for early detection of polio and other diseases.

Because the virus that causes COVID-19 can be shed in symptomatic or asymptomatic patients, this method of monitoring provides data on both types of infections, according to the CDC.

The DHSS has partnered with the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the University of Missouri-Columbia, wastewater operators and other groups for almost a year on the analyses.

According to the CDC, the omicron variant has been detected in most states as of Dec. 20, and a surge of new COVID-19 cases is expected over the coming days and weeks. It is likely to spread more easily than the original virus, and has been linked to cases that aren't as severe, but more research is needed to verify that, the CDC reports.

Kauerauf urged residents to get vaccinated or to get their booster dose. With the upcoming holidays, residents also are asked to stay home if sick and wear a mask indoors in areas of high community transmission.

"These are the same measures we've recommended all along and continue to be effective in decreasing your chance of getting sick and being hospitalized," he said.

COVID-19 vaccinations are available to everyone 5 and older; booster doses are available to those 16 and older. To get a vaccine:

—Check for appointments at vaccines.gov, where you can search for availability by vaccine type.

—Call the federal COVID-19 vaccine hotline at 1-800-232-0233, or TTY 1-888-720-7489. Help is available in multiple languages.

—Locate local vaccination events in Missouri at mostopscovid.com.

—Call the Missouri COVID-19 hotline at 1-877-435-8411.

Follow Digital Editor Joe Hadsall on Twitter at @JoeHadsall.