It’s only a matter of time before the omicron variant of the coronavirus is detected in Texas, according to experts at UT Southwestern Medical Center and other research institutions across the state.
The omicron variant was first identified by scientists in South Africa in late November. Since then, cases have been reported in more than a dozen U.S. states and about 40 countries around the world.
Hospitals and universities in major cities across the Lone Star state, including Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, are using genomic sequencing to analyze positive COVID-19 tests for the mutations present in the new variant. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also conducts genomic sequencing on some new cases in Texas.
Genomic sequencing has been a vital tool during the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing scientists to identify and track the spread of different strains of the virus. Here’s what you need to know about the process.
What is genomic sequencing and how does it work?
Genomic sequencing allows scientists to determine the order of the chemical building blocks that make up something’s DNA, which serves as its genetic instructions that determine its unique characteristics.
“You have to think of the genome for the virus as sort of a book,” said Dr. Wesley Long, associate professor of pathology and genomic medicine at Houston Methodist Hospital.
The DNA, he said, functions as the words in the book. When sequencing a virus sample, Long and his team look for mutations, or “typos.”
“There may be certain typos that change the meaning of the words on the page,” he said. “There are some mutations that change how transmissible a virus is, or how contagious it might be.”
The omicron variant, for instance, appears to have more than 30 mutations in the coronavirus’ spike protein, which could affect how easily it spreads to people. Scientists in South Africa said on Friday that the new variant appears to spread more than twice as quickly as the delta variant, The New York Times reported. The delta variant is considered the most contagious version of COVID-19.
When do scientists think they’ll detect the omicron variant in Texas?
Experts aren’t sure exactly when they’ll find a sample of the omicron variant in Texas, although it will likely be in the next few days or weeks, said Dr. Jeffrey SoRelle, who is leading the COVID-19 variant tracking effort at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Several hospitals and universities, including UT Southwestern, Houston Methodist, UT Health San Antonio and Texas A&M University, are running samples from November to try and find the variant.
Coming across an omicron variant sample can take a bit of luck, said Long, because not every positive COVID-19 test in a city will get sequenced. He estimates that his team at Houston Methodist is sequencing about 5% of all the COVID-19 testing being done in the greater Houston metropolitan area.
Still, experts in Texas are sequencing a high number of cases compared to some other areas.
“We’ve sequenced over 60,000 genomes at Houston Methodist, and in South Africa they’ve only sequenced, I think, around 20,000,” Long said. “So we’ve seen more than some countries.”
