University of Missouri Researchers Identify COVID-19 Mutations

As COVID-19 rates continue to fluctuate and new variants appear, researchers are looking to identify what makes the variants different and how that can alter disease management and prevention. Researchers at the University of Missouri have found mutations in the spike variants of the Omicron strain.  

According to the CDC’s COVID-19 tracker, as of July 18, 2022, there have been 89,329,839 COVID-19 cases and 1,019,210 COVID-19 deaths in the United States. With the recent spread of the BA.5 COVID-19 subvariant, these rates are expected to continue to rise.  

An article by Yale Medicine refers to the BA.5 and BA.4 subvariants of the Omicron variant as the most contagious strains. Together, they account for more than 70% of all COVID-19 cases in the US, with BA.5 making up over 50% of new COVID-19 cases.  

Despite vaccination status or history of illness, new strains have managed to infect a large population. 

“Vaccinated individuals or those that have previously tested positive may have the antibodies for one variant but not necessarily for any of the other variants. The various mutations may seem like only subtle differences, but they are very important,” said Kamlendra Singh, a professor at the MU College of Veterinary Medicine and Christopher S. Bond Life Sciences Center, to the University of Missouri.  

While discussing subvariant mutations, Singh explained to the University of Missouri that, like any other virus, COVID-19 would continue to get “smarter” and mutate.  

He says, “Omicron now has more than 130 sublineages, and they have been here for quite a while. We are now just finally able to detect them and differentiate among them with this research.” 

The goal of understanding the mutations is to determine how researchers and clinicians can alter treatment and prevention tools to continue to protect people against the virus. Many professionals, including Singh, believe COVID-19 will be around forever with new subvariants constantly appearing.  

Much like the flu, vaccines may need to be altered to maximize protection.  

In his interview with the University of Missouri, Singh says, “the ultimate solution going forward will likely be the development of small molecule, antiviral drugs that target parts of the virus that do not mutate. While there is no vaccine for HIV, there are very effective antiviral drugs that help those infected live a healthy life, so hopefully the same can be true with COVID-19.” 

In addition to current research and public health initiatives, such as the one put forth by the Biden administration, citizens need to follow CDC guidelines to protect themselves and the health of others. Currently, only 34.2% of those over the age of 5 have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine series. While vaccine mutations have allowed for reinfection regardless of vaccination status, vaccines have prevented severe versions of the illness and helped minimize hospitalizations and deaths.