A COVID-19 variant is buzzing back to life after years of flying under the radar.
Nicknamed “Cicada” for its long hibernation period and noisy return, the strain is now fueling a steady rise in cases around the globe — including in the US.
Early data suggest the highly mutated strain could be especially contagious, putting health officials on alert at home and abroad. Here’s everything you need to know.
What is the “Cicada” variant?
Officially known as BA.3.2, it’s an offshoot of the Omicron subvariant of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
First detected in South Africa in November 2024, the strain didn’t begin circulating more widely until September last year.
It has now been spotted in 23 countries and accounts for up to 30% of cases in some parts of Europe, according to a CDC report published last week.
Where is BA.3.2 spreading in the US?
The variant first appeared in the US in a traveler passing through San Francisco International Airport from the Netherlands in June 2025 — but it wasn’t until January of this year that BA.3.2 showed up in a clinical sample from a US patient.
As of Feb. 11, Cicada had been detected in four US travelers and five patients, as well as airline and wastewater samples across 25 states, including New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, according to the CDC.
But despite its growing footprint, BA.3.2 is still far from dominant, accounting for less than 1% of cases nationwide.
“It is possible we will see Cicada drive a summer COVID surge and become the dominant strain in the United States, but that is by no means certain,” Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told Everyday Health.
Is the “Cicada” variant more contagious?
It might be.
The strain carries roughly 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein — the part of the virus that helps it enter human cells — giving it what experts call “immune escape characteristics.”
That means it could partially dodge protection from vaccines or prior infections, potentially making it easier to spread.
“There is concern that it could represent a significant public health risk, but since the prevalence is still so low, it is too soon to predict this on a community-wide basis,” Dr. Marc Siegel, an internal medicine doctor at NYU Langone, told Fox News Digital.
Even so, experts say current COVID-19 vaccines are still expected to protect against severe illness, hospitalization and death.
What are the symptoms of BA.3.2?
The Cicada variant doesn’t appear to cause different symptoms than earlier strains — but the jury is still out on whether it could make people sicker.
“That’s really the big question with any COVID variant at this point,” Dr. Syra Madad, an epidemiologist, told HuffPost. “So far there is no evidence that it is causing more severe illness on a population level.”
Common COVID-19 symptoms include cough, fever, fatigue, headache, body aches, sore throat, sneezing and upper respiratory infections.
Like other variants, it can also cause asymptomatic infections.
What to do if you test positive
If you think you have COVID-19, the CDC recommends staying home, avoiding others and wearing a high-quality mask when you need to be around people.
You should also focus on recovery. That means getting adequate rest, staying hydrated and managing your symptoms like fever or pain with over-the-counter medication.
If you develop severe symptoms such as difficulty breathing, chest pain, confusion or bluish lips or skin, seek emergency medical attention.
After all, while the pandemic might feel like its in the rearview, COVID-19 still contributed to an estimated 290,000 to 450,000 hospitalizations and 34,000 to 53,000 deaths in the US in 2025 alone, according to the CDC.
