New Covid variant Cicada circulating in US, 22 other countries: Is it a threat?

Early analyses suggest BA.3.2, the new Covid variant, carries around 75 mutations, far more than many previous variants.

In Short

• The new variant BA.3.2 carries about 75 mutations
• First detected in South Africa in November 2024
• The variant circulating has been circulating at low levels for now

A newly identified Covid-19 variant with an unusually high number of mutations is drawing attention from public health experts around the world. The variant, known as BA.3.2, has now been detected in half of the United States and at least 22 other countries, according to recent surveillance reports.

Researchers have informally nicknamed the variant "Cicada", after the insect known for emerging after long periods underground.

Scientists say the name reflects the possibility that the virus could have evolved quietly before appearing in surveillance systems.

Early analyses suggest BA.3.2 carries around 75 mutations, far more than many previous variants.

Several of these changes occur in the spike protein, the part of the virus that allows it to enter human cells and the main target of antibodies generated by vaccination or previous infection.

Mutations in the spike protein are particularly important because they can influence how easily the virus spreads and how well immune protection works.

Laboratory studies indicate that BA.3.2 shows enhanced immune escape, meaning antibodies produced by current Covid-19 vaccines or prior infection have the effect of neutralising the virus less effectively.

However, scientists say more real-world data is needed to understand its full impact.

FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO GLOBAL SURVEILLANCE

The BA.3.2 lineage was first detected in November 2024 in a respiratory sample collected in South Africa.

For months, the variant rarely appeared in genomic databases, before gradually appearing in surveillance systems across different regions during 2025 and early 2026.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), this pattern could indicate that the variant circulated at low levels before being picked up by routine genomic monitoring.

The lineage is a descendant of BA.3, a branch of the Omicron family that briefly circulated alongside BA.1 and BA.2 in the early phase of the Omicron wave between late 2021 and 2022.

HOW HEALTH AGENCIES DETECTED IT

The first detection of BA.3.2 in the US occurred on June 27, 2025, when the variant was identified in a respiratory sample collected from a traveller arriving at San Francisco International Airport from the Netherlands.

Further detections followed through multiple surveillance systems, including airport traveller screening programmes and wastewater monitoring networks.

Wastewater surveillance later detected the variant in Rhode Island, signalling that the virus was present in the community even before clinical cases were widely identified.

The first three patient detections in the US were recorded between December 2025 and January 2026.

All patients recovered, and the US health authorities say there is currently no evidence that BA.3.2 causes more severe illness than earlier variants.

IS IT A THREAT?

Not really. The highly mutated virus is circulating but the variant remains rare, according to the health authorities.

However, researchers are closely monitoring whether its genetic changes could influence transmission, immunity, or vaccine effectiveness.

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