KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Researchers say there's more evidence the COVID-19 omicron variant is expanding in Missouri.
More than half of the community sewershed samples tested last week contained the omicron variant, according to a news release from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
Researchers first found the Omicron variant in samples collected December 7-8 in Jackson and Buchanan counties, the news release states.
“Our robust program for monitoring COVID-19 through sewershed sampling provides us with reliable information regarding the presence of the virus and its variants,” DHSS Director Donald Kauerauf said.
According to Kauerauf, COVID-19 preventative measures are more important now than ever before.
“The existence of the omicron variant is becoming much more prevalent each week, making the actions of COVID-19 individual testing, vaccination and other mitigation measures more important as we already face the threat of the delta variant and an increase in flu cases,” he said.
Results from the testing are updated and displayed weekly at COVID-19 sewershed surveillance StoryMap. The next testing update is Tuesday.
