New Delhi: A new Covid variant called BA.3.2, colloquially dubbed ‘Cicada’, has been detected in samples of at least 23 countries. The variant has also been identified in travellers entering the United States from Japan, Kenya, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom. In parts of Europe, it has been found in approximately 30 per cent of the genetically analysed samples, according to a report published a few days ago by the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the country’s leading national public health agency.
The CDC tracks SARS-CoV-2 variants globally using digital public health surveillance and within the United States through genomic methods like wastewater monitoring and testing of international travellers. To monitor how variants spread globally, the CDC relies on global genomic databases that collect virus sequences shared by researchers worldwide, allowing the CDC to track mutations and their spread in near real time.
The highly divergent variant BA.3.2 was first identified in a respiratory sample in South Africa on 22 November 2024. By 11 February 2026, it had been reported in 23 countries.
The CDC classifies BA.3.2 as a “highly divergent” variant, meaning it has gone through a large number of genetic changes after the earlier strains, with 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein compared to LP.8.1, the specific strain used as the basis for the 2025-26 Covid vaccine formulations.
While current vaccines continue to perform well against dominant Covid-19 variants such as JN.1, the CDC report flags a notable drop in effectiveness against BA.3.2.
The report states, “The 2025-2026 LP.8.1-adapted mRNA (messenger RNA) COVID-19 vaccine demonstrates protection against currently predominant JN.1 strains but had the lowest antibody neutralisation against BA.3.2 in a laboratory study of seven variants, potentially affecting vaccine-conferred protection, although observational data are also needed.”
Antibody neutralisation refers to the ability of immune proteins to recognise and disable the virus before it can infect cells. mRNA vaccines work by instructing cells to produce a protein that triggers an immune response inside the body, rather than using a weakened or inactivated virus.
According to CDC, the variant has been detected in 132 wastewater samples across 25 US states, three airplane wastewater samples, and clinical samples from five patients between September 2025 and 11 February 2026. While laboratory studies suggest BA.3.2 may partially evade immunity built from prior infections or vaccinations, there is currently no evidence that it causes more severe disease than earlier variants.
What is BA.3.2?
BA.3.2 is the latest offshoot of the coronavirus from the Omicron family.
First identified in late 2021, Omicron is a highly transmissible variant of SARS-CoV-2 known for its numerous mutations and its ability to evade some immune responses, though it generally causes less severe lung damage than previous variants like Delta.
The ‘Cicada’ variant features over 70 changes in its spike protein—which is the ‘key’ the virus uses to unlock and enter human cells, and the primary target for our immune system and vaccines.
First detected in South Africa in November 2024, the variant spread to Mozambique and Europe, with cases surging in late 2025. In the US, it followed a predictable pattern. It appeared first in international travellers and wastewater before turning up in clinical patient tests.
Current reports suggest that BA.3.2 follows the trend of recent Omicron sub-lineages, manifesting as mild to moderate symptoms. Patients typically report fever, sore throat, runny nose, fatigue, headache, and occasional cough. While muscle aches and mild gastrointestinal issues have been noted, the risk of complications remains highest for older adults and those with underlying health conditions.\
Why ‘Cicada’
The nickname ‘Cicada’ was coined by Dr T. Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Canada, to describe the BA.3.2 variant’s unique evolutionary pattern. Much like the insect that remains underground for years before surfacing, this variant is a descendant of the 2022 BA.3 lineage that circulated silently for nearly two years before re-emerging in late 2024 with over 70 new mutations. The name highlights how the virus hibernated and evolved in the background, only to appear suddenly as a highly mutated and distinct threat.
What do 70+ spike mutations mean?
The spike protein is the structure the virus uses to attach to and enter human cells. It is also the primary target of the immune system and of Covid-19 vaccines. A large number of mutations in the spike protein means the virus may appear so altered that antibodies—the protective proteins generated by prior infection or vaccination—may not recognise it as effectively.
However, medical experts ThePrint spoke to caution against reading the mutation count alone as cause for alarm.
“The spike protein plays a role in both infection and immunity, so it cuts both ways,” says virologist Dr Shahid Jameel, a fellow at Green Templeton College, University of Oxford and visiting professor at Ashoka University. “If the virus has mutated a lot, it could infect cells more easily—or those changes could also make it less efficient at infecting.”
This follows a historical pattern. When Omicron first emerged, it traded severity for speed. Its descendants including BA.2, XBB, and JN.1, have largely become more transmissible without becoming more lethal. BA.3.2 appears to be evolving similarly.
“The time to worry about infection is over—what matters now is disease,” says Dr Jameel. “A variant with 70 spike mutations doesn’t concern by itself. It may spread, but whether it causes severe disease is still unclear.”
Dr Gautam Menon, Professor of Physics and Biology at Ashoka University, agrees: “Genetic divergence need not correspond to a more transmissible variant, or indeed one against which a prior infection or vaccine against an earlier variant might fail to protect.”
Need for waste-water surveillance
In the US, BA.3.2 was flagged in sewage before it hit hospitals. Wastewater surveillance, now widely used as a public health tool globally, involves detecting pathogens in sewage by analysing their genetic material.
The system works because infected individuals shed viruses and bacteria through stool and urine, even when asymptomatic. These traces can then be identified in untreated wastewater samples collected from municipal treatment facilities, providing community-level insights into infection trends without individual testing.
“Even within the Indian experience, peaks in wastewater signals have preceded increases in reported cases, highlighting its value as an early warning tool,” says Dr Menon.
In August 2025, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) announced plans to expand its wastewater surveillance network to monitor 10 different viruses across 50 cities. Until that point, the system was operational in only five cities.
Studies suggest that wastewater surveillance can provide public health authorities with a lead time of 10–14 days before outbreaks are reflected in hospital cases. This window can be crucial for deploying resources, targeting vaccinations and alerting healthcare systems. Similar systems have been used successfully in countries like Canada, where wastewater signals helped anticipate an outbreak of respiratory syncytial virus in 2023.
But Dr Jameel warns that India’s current efforts may be insufficient.
“If you don’t use the system, you don’t build expertise—and you don’t know what’s coming,” Jameel said. “Proper surveillance gives you a few weeks’ lead time before cases appear in hospitals. That really must be done to know what’s coming at us.”
Will existing vaccines work?
The CDC report says BA.3.2 may be better at evading antibodies, meaning past infection or vaccination may not fully prevent infection. However, this does not necessarily translate into more severe illness.
However, Dr Jameel emphasizes the distinction between infection and disease. “Vaccines may not always stop infection, but they are designed to prevent severe illness—and are expected to continue doing so.”
A study in medical journal Nature Communications last year supports this, showing that widespread immunity from previous infections and vaccinations provides “cross-protection” against a variety of related coronaviruses.
“This suggests that current vaccine update strategies should continue to work,” Dr Menon concludes.
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
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