The CDC is tracking a new SARS-CoV-2 variant — BA.3.2 — that has been identified in 23 countries, including the U.S.
BA.3.2 has been nicknamed the “cicada” variant as it has largely remained undetected or “underground” — like its insect namesake — since being discovered, Robert Hopkins Jr., MD, a prominent infectious diseases expert and medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told USA Today.
Here are five things to know:
1. The variant was first identified in South Africa in November 2024. Detections began increasing in September 2025, with the highest number reported during the week of Dec. 7, 2025.
2. BA.3.2 was first detected in the U.S. in June 2025 at San Francisco International Airport through traveler-based surveillance. As of mid-February, it had been found in clinical samples from five patients across four states and 132 wastewater samples from 25 states. Prevalence among sequenced specimens remains low at 0.19%. Two of the five patients were hospitalized older adults with comorbidities, and all five survived.
3. BA.3.2 carries about 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein compared to JN.1 and its descendant LP.8.1, the antigens used in the most current COVID-19 vaccine. Lab studies show BA.3.2 evades antibodies more effectively than other circulating variants. The 2025–26 COVID-19 vaccine demonstrated the lowest antibody neutralization against BA.3.2 among seven variants tested. The CDC said real-world vaccine effectiveness data is still needed and that current vaccines continue to protect against the predominant circulating strains.
4. Data from several European countries show BA.3.2 has not rapidly overtaken other strains. Instead, the strain has cocirculated with other JN.1 descendent lineages at 10% to 40% prevalence. Two lab studies also found BA.3.2 had reduced lung cell entry compared with other variants, potentially limiting its ability to become dominant. However, further evolution or seasonal transmission increases could enable broader circulation, the CDC noted.
5. The CDC estimates that COVID-19 caused between 390,000 and 550,000 hospitalizations and 45,000 to 64,000 deaths during the 2024–25 virus season.
The post CDC tracks new ‘cicada’ COVID variant: 5 notes appeared first on Becker's Hospital Review | Healthcare News & Analysis.
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