For many people, the COVID-19 pandemic feels like a distant memory. In reality, the SARS‑CoV‑2 coronavirus is still spreading widely across the globe and continues to evolve into new variants.
Sometimes these variants are no more dangerous than the previous ones. Yet each newly discovered variant also has the potential to be more harmful than the last, which is why health organizations worldwide monitor emerging variants.
Currently, health officials are tracking a new Covid-19 variant called BA.3.2, also known as “Cicada.” Here’s what you need to know about it.
What is BA.3.2 ‘Cicada’?
BA.3.2 “Cicada” is an offshoot of a COVID-19 variant that has been circulating for over half a decade now. However, it has some properties that are attracting increased scrutiny from scientists and health organizations around the world.
Perhaps its most significant property is that it is considered a highly mutated version of the virus.
As noted in a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “BA.3.2 has approximately 70–75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of the spike protein relative to JN.1 and its descendant, LP.8.1.”
JN.1 and LP.8.1 are the Covid-19 variants used in the 2025–26 versions of the COVID-19 vaccines. Because of BA.3.2’s high number of mutations, the new variant has “the potential to reduce protection from a previous infection or vaccination,” according to the CDC.
The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated BA.3.2 a “variant under monitoring.” It says current vaccines should still provide protection against severe disease.
Why is it called ’Cicada’
The BA.3.2 variant has been nicknamed by scientists as “Cicada,” though this name is unofficial. But some scientists have begun referring to BA.3.2 as Cicada because of another unique property of the variant.
As its name indicates, BA.3.2 is an offshoot of the BA 3 variant—but that variant hasn’t circulated widely for nearly four years. Since an offshoot of that variant has waited years to reappear, it has been nicknamed “Cicada” after the insects, which only emerge once every several years, notes USA Today.
When did BA.3.2 first appear?
According the the CDC, BA.3.2 was first detected in South Africa in November of 2024.
Its first appearance in the United States was in a traveler to the United States in June 2025. But it wasn’t until January 2026 that BA.3.2 was first detected in a clinical specimen collected from a patient in the U.S.
Where has BA.3.2 spread?
It’s important to note that BA.3.2 is not yet a dominant variant. Those remain variants of the XFG family, which has been circulating in the U.S. for some time.
However, due to the number of mutations in BA.3.2 and its potential to be less susceptible to the antibodies people gain from vaccinations and prior infections, health agencies have concerns that BA.3.2 could become more dominant.
Already, the variant makes up 30% of cases in several European countries, including Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.
But for now, its occurrence in the United States is less pronounced. In U.S. sequences collected between December 1, 2025, and March 12, 2026, the prevalence of BA.3.2 was just 0.55%, the CDC reported.
Which U.S. states have detected BA.3.2?
The variant has now been detected in the wastewater of half the states in the country, suggesting its reach is expanding.
Those states include California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming.
What are the symptoms of BA.3.2 Cicada?
As of now, the CDC doesn’t appear to have discovered any additional symptoms of BA 3.2 that distinguish it from other variants. According to the CDC, possible symptoms of a COVID-19 infection may include:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Sore throat
- Congestion or runny nose
- New loss of taste or smell
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
How can I protect myself against BA.3.2 Cicada?
The CDC hasn’t issued additional guidance on protecting yourself against the BA.3.2 variant. But it does offer guidance for protecting yourself against Covid-19 in general.
That guidance states that you should stay up to date with your vaccinations, practice good hygiene, and take steps to get cleaner air.
