by HealthDay Staff

Another new COVID variant is starting to spread. Health officials say the variant—known as BA.3.2 or "Cicada"—has been quietly circulating for years but is now being detected more often in the United States and around the world.

TheU.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) said in a March 19 report that cases are slowly increasing. TheWorld Health Organization(WHO) has also added Cicada to its "variants of monitoring" list as it pops up in more countries, U.S. Today reported.

So far,BA.3.2has been found in more than 20 countries. In some places, it makes up as much as 30% of cases.

"Monitoring the spread of BA.3.2 provides valuable information about the potential for this new SARS-CoV-2 lineage to evade immunity from a previous infection or vaccination," the CDC wrote in itsMorbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The variant was named after a breed ofinsectsthat rarely emerge into view because it stayed mostly "underground" once it was detected.

Dr. Robert Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said the variant was first identified in a traveler coming to the United States in June 2025. The first U.S. case was reported in January.

Since then, Cicada has been found in wastewater samples from 132 locations across at least 25 states.

Globally, the first known case was in South Africa in November 2024. The uptick began in September 2025.

BA.3.2stands out because it contains about 70 to 75 mutations, making it different from previous strains.

As of March 14, the variant made up about 3.7% of wastewater samples collected, according to tracking data. Another variant, XFG, remains most dominant at 53%, followed by LF.7 at 10.3%,U.S. Todaysaid.

But the Cicada version has spread more widely in parts of Europe.

"It is possible we will see Cicada become the dominant strain in the U.S., but that is by no means certain," Hopkins told U.S. Today, adding that he is aware of concerns that it could drive a U.S. summer surge.

"Low vaccination rates and little to no public health effort toward stopping COVID infections and spread leaves us vulnerable," he said.

So far, symptoms appear to be similar to other COVID strains.

Those include:

Some people have also reported a very painful sore throat, sometimes called "razorblade throat."

"I have not seen any data which indicates that Cicada is any more severe than other circulating variants," Hopkins said.

In its report, the CDC said monitoring spread of the BA.3.2 variant provides "valuable information" about its potential to evade immunity provided by previous vaccination or infection.

"The number ofmutations from JN.1viruses makes it less likely that the current vaccines will be highly effective against Cicada, but we need more data to better answer this question," Hopkins said.

Nonetheless, vaccines should still help protect against severe illness and death. Taking some simple steps can also help reduce any risk:

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Publication details Mila Shakya et al, Early Detection and Surveillance of the SARS-CoV-2 Variant BA.3.2 — Worldwide, November 2024–February 2026, MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (2026). DOI: 10.15585/mmwr.mm7510a1 The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is tracking the new variant regularly. Journal information: Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report