Detection of Covid-19 Variants

The outbreak of Covid-19 in December 2019 was devastating to many but led to major advancements in vaccine research and development. The development of a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 infection offers protection for the public but cannot eliminate the risk of contracting Covid-19 due to the many viral mutations since the initial wild-type strain isolation in 2019. Analysis of these viral mutations will allow for the development of vaccines with greater protection against the new variants of the coronavirus. Secondary to Covid-19 infection seen in the pediatric population is Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children or MIS-C. Through qPCR analysis of pediatric clinical samples provided by two hospitals, one based in Hartford, CT and one based in Colombia from March 2021 to May 2022, I determined the viral load of clinical Covid-19 samples and used this for variant detection. Looking at 8 different variants of Covid-19 through qPCR analysis, which mutations present in each variant were determined. This information is useful for future studies in determining which variant each patient was infected with and correlating which variant is associated with the worst clinical outcomes in children. Information on specific variants and clinical outcomes will alert vaccine manufacturers to focus their attention on formulating a vaccine that offers stronger protection against the variants showing worse clinical outcomes.