Overview
- BA.3.2, nicknamed Cicada, is now on CDC and WHO watch lists after detections across more than 20 countries and in many U.S. states through clinical, traveler, and wastewater sampling.
- CDC data through February 11th showed the variant in wastewater at 132 sites across at least 25 states, following a June 2025 traveler detection and the first U.S. patient case in January 2026.
- The lineage carries roughly 70 to 75 mutations in the spike protein, a cluster of changes that helps the virus slip past some antibodies and may lower protection against infection.
- Doctors report symptoms that track with prior COVID waves, and experts say there is no convincing signal of greater severity, with vaccines still expected to protect against severe disease.
- Officials are expanding genomic and wastewater surveillance to assess real‑world spread and vaccine performance, as BA.3.2 has reached about 30% of sequences in parts of Europe and true circulation is likely undercounted.