A new variant of COVID-19 is buzzing.
Its official name is BA.3.2, but it’s earned the nickname “cicada” because, analogous to the insect’s pattern, it first appeared back in 2024, went dormant for a while, and resurfaced in the U.S. late last year.
Evidence so far shows it is responsible for only a few U.S. cases, but it recently gained traction in Europe, leaving experts on alert for similar trends in North America.
“Cicada” is part of the well-known omicron family of variants but it has lots of mutations — 70 to 75 compared to the dominant strains. Those mutations may help it sneak past the immune defenses that the current COVID-19 vaccine provides.
Scientists are still studying this new variant, but here’s what we know so far.
Why is it making news?
The variant was first identified in South Africa in November 2024, and detected in the U.S. in one traveler seven months later in June 2025. It wasn’t spotted in the U.S. until late December and early January.
Since then, more evidence of the variant has emerged.
Public health experts use various methods of surveillance to track variants, including testing samples of wastewater, collecting voluntary nasal swabs from travelers, and reviewing viral samples collected from patients by doctors and hospitals. As of Feb. 11, “cicada” was detected in 25 different states, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Still, BA.3.2 “is currently a minority strain, based on the most recent data available from CDC,” said Dr. Robert H. Hopkins, medical director for the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases.
In Northern Europe, it grew more prevalent this winter, with 30% of cases in Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands linked to the “cicada” variant.
Is it worse than other current variants?
It’s hard to know. One expert we spoke with said it’s too early to tell. Others told us there’s no evidence yet showing it’s more severe than prior variants.
Since it is so new, most of what we know about how the variant behaves comes from laboratory — not clinical — data, said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.
“The early data would indicate that it is not more severe, or it doesn’t have any distinctive clinical presentations,” Schaffner said. This has been typical of COVID-19 variants over the last couple of years, he said. Overall, the disease has not gotten significantly more severe, and the symptoms haven’t changed much from variant to variant.
It’s also not clear when, if ever, this strain will become more prevalent in the U.S. Some laboratory tests indicate it may be less transmissible, Schaffner said, but “we don’t know how quickly it will circulate or whether it will outrun the other variants that are out there at the moment, because we don’t know how contagious it is.”
Do available vaccines provide meaningful protection?
Most of the COVID-19 strains currently circulating are well-targeted by this year’s vaccine formulation.
If BA3.2 becomes more prominent though, lab data shows that the variant could elude human immune defenses from vaccines and previous infections. But data so far is scarce.
Vaccines may not work well against “cicada” infection, but it will still probably protect against severe illness, University of Maryland respiratory expert Dr. Donald Milton said: “That still makes them worth taking.”
How recently must a person have gotten vaccines or boosters to be protected?
Doctors and public health officials typically advise getting a COVID-19 shot annually in the fall, like a flu shot.
The current COVID-19 shot formulation is set for the year until fall 2026, so you can get one if you haven’t yet.
Every year, scientists try to predict months in advance which strains will be circulating in the coming flu and COVID-19 season. Sometimes, they make good matches, but other times, the viruses develop unexpected mutations that help them elude the vaccine’s protection. It happened with the flu this year.
The COVID-19 vaccine being developed for this fall may include protection for the new “cicada” variant, Schaffner said.
Generally, getting vaccinated annually is sufficient, even though the vaccine’s effectiveness wanes after several months.
But older Americans and people with chronic health issues may want to consider a second shot, Schaffner said. In previous years, there have been two annual COVID-19 surges, one in winter and another in summer. Schaffner said people in high-risk groups could consider getting their second shots in late spring to protect against the summer surge.
Do traditional at-home COVID-19 tests detect this variant?
“The tests are designed to detect parts of the virus that don’t change quickly,” Milton said. “So, your home test kits will still work.”
Just make sure they aren’t expired. And if you are experiencing symptoms, stay away from others, get tested, and contact your doctor.
This story originally appeared on PolitiFact
