The variant was first detected in a respiratory sample in South Africa in November 2024. It remained relatively quiet for months before gaining traction, with detections increasing globally from September 2025 onward. In the United States, the first identification came in June 2025 through the CDC’s Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program in a traveler arriving from the Netherlands at San Francisco International Airport. Subsequent detections have included nasal swabs from additional international travelers, clinical samples from a small number of patients, and widespread wastewater monitoring.
According to a CDC report published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, as of mid-February 2026, BA.3.2 had appeared in 132 wastewater samples across 25 states, along with limited clinical and traveler detections. The variant is an offshoot of the earlier BA.3 lineage and carries roughly 70–75 mutations and deletions in its spike protein compared to strains used in the 2025–2026 COVID-19 vaccines. This raises the possibility of partial immune escape from prior infections or vaccination, though experts emphasize there is currently no evidence it causes more severe disease or produces novel symptoms.
Standard COVID-19 symptoms — such as cough, fatigue, sore throat, and fever — continue to predominate in reported cases. National case numbers and hospitalizations remain low, and the variant still accounts for only a small percentage of circulating SARS-CoV-2 sequences. Some wastewater data suggest it may be rising slowly, but it has not displaced dominant strains like XFG.
The nickname “Cicada” was coined by evolutionary biologist T. Ryan Gregory, referencing the insect’s long dormancy periods underground before re-emerging — much like this subvariant’s pattern of limited early detection followed by gradual reappearance.
Public discussion of the variant has been amplified on social media, with some posts pairing the news with unrelated imagery, such as videos of skin rashes that have no established link to BA.3.2. Health officials and fact-checkers have cautioned against such misleading visuals, which echo past patterns of heightened alarm during periods of variant emergence.
Public health experts continue to recommend standard precautions for vulnerable populations, including staying up to date with vaccines where appropriate, though they stress that current data do not indicate an imminent surge or need for new restrictions. Wastewater surveillance has once again proven valuable as an early warning tool, often detecting shifts before widespread clinical testing does.
This remains a developing situation. The CDC and WHO have classified BA.3.2 as a Variant Under Monitoring, with ongoing genomic sequencing to track its trajectory, potential sublineages, and any changes in transmissibility or severity.
As with previous Omicron descendants, the emergence of “Cicada” underscores the virus’s continued evolution, even as society has largely moved on from pandemic-era measures. For most healthy individuals, the risk appears comparable to other recent strains circulating at low levels.
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