Springfield health leaders explain new COVID-19 variant; how it could impact community

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. (KY3) – There are new concerns over a COVID-19 variant spreading in China and the United Kingdom.

CoxHealth’s internal medicine hospitalist Dr. Sarah Smitherman says the Omicron variant has two types. BA1 is what we saw in the community several months ago. BA2 is what’s becoming prominent in other countries around the world.

”As we know with COVID it can continue to change and how it affects one population does not necessarily mean it will affect our population the same,” Dr. Smitherman says. “But we’re watching it and we’ll be prepared if it does come this way.”

Dr. Smitherman says although there’s concern over increased severity with this variant, there isn’t enough data to back that up.

Dr. Smitherman says that makes it hard to predict when it could hit southwest Missouri or how bad it could be.

“I don’t know with certainty that a new variant will hit Springfield, Missouri but it’s certainly a possibility,” Dr. Smitherman says. “We’ve seen these waves and it’s reasonable to think these waves will be ongoing but one thing we have is knowledge. We’ve got two years of knowledge on how to prepare and staff and care for patients.”

The Springfield-Greene County Health Department is reporting the seven day daily average as 15 cases. The lowest in 2021 was 16. Despite the hopes for continued low numbers, Aaron Schekorra with the Springfield-Greene County Health Department says they’ve learned from previous surges and are prepared for what could come next.

“The ability to have this lull, to have these lower case numbers, to look back on how we responded, what happened throughout our community during those circumstances, having this time to look back and reflect and make those adjustments is really valuable,” Schekorra says.

Schekorra says vaccination is a key way for people to protect themselves moving forward. That’s why the health department is urging people not only to get their initial doses but also the booster.

“We don’t know what’s to come,” Schekorra says. “We don’t know if another variant were to develop if it’s gonna have those more severe outcomes like the delta variant or be more transmissible like the omicron. Since we can’t really say what’s coming down the pipeline, we want to utilize those tools that we have available to us.”

The health department is offering additional COVID-19 testing options next week so people can get tested after any spring break travel. A testing site is also being offered on Tuesday, March 22 for students from any of the local colleges. It’s being held at the Plaster Student Union on Missouri State University’s campus from 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

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