New COVID variant spreads to dozens of states
Health officials are watching the variant, which displays 'unusual' behavior
There’s a new COVID variant to worry about. It’s officially been named BA.3.2 — also known as Cicada — and it descends from an older Omicron lineage that had largely disappeared but then re-emerged in late 2024-2025.
The World Health Organization (WHO) calls it a “variant under monitoring” and says it has been detected in multiple countries and dozens of U.S. states. It’s not dominant globally and its spread is described as “moderate, not explosive.”
There’s no evidence this new strain is more dangerous than other versions but it is generating more mutations, which can make it more dangerous if it continues to spread.
“The question that actually matters is whether BA.3.2 meaningfully erodes protection against severe disease,” said Jake Scott, a Stanford professor and infectious disease expert, who added that as of now, all evidence shows that it doesn’t.
“BA.3.2 has not shown a sustained growth advantage over any other co-circulating variant, and no data indicate increased severity, hospitalisations or deaths associated with this variant,” Scott said.
What to do
What’s a consumer to do? It depends partly on who you are, but the safest course of action is to keep your vaccine status current, getting regular boosters as they become available.
Because of mutations in the virus, vaccines don’t provide 100% protection but they do provide strong immunity, helping to prevent hospitalizations and death. In other words, you may still catch BA.3.2 or another variant even if you’re vaccinated — but you’re much less likely to get seriously sick, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Keep in mind that, under Trump Administration policy, the CDC no longer issues blanket recommendations (“everyone must get a booster now”). Instead, it makes recommendations based on your health, age and general well-being.
In addition to vaccines, WHO recommends masking and improved ventilation in high-risk environments – to prevent all COVID-19 infections and related risks, such as long COVID.
Who should get a booster
CDC says benefits of a booster outweigh the risks if you’re in any of these categories:
Higher risk
Age 65+
Living in long-term care or other institution
Chronic health conditions (heart, lung, etc.)
Medically vulnerable
Immunocompromrised
High exposure
Healthcare workers
Caregivers
For anyone in these groups, the 2025-2026 booster is strongly recommended.
If you’re under 65 and generally healthy, you may want to get a booster if you don’t want to take the chance of getting sick or if you’re planning to travel, visit crowded settings or otherwise expose yourself to possible infection.
What’s different about BA.3.2?
Symptoms of the new variant are similar to previous ones, except that loss of taste is less common. Some reports say a strong sore throat and general “cold-like” symptoms are more common.
While health officials say the new version is not currently a major threat, they’re watching it closely because of its slightly unusual behavior. It re-emerged after disappearing, which is rare and it has a large mutation set,, which raises concerns about “immune escape,” meaning that it could find ways to get around current vaccine protections.
But base on current observations, BA.3.2 doesn’t appear to be more severe than other Omnicron variants and isn’t a cause for undue concern.
The COVID legacy
COVID-19, caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, triggered the most severe global public health crisis in a century. First identified in late 2019, the disease rapidly spread worldwide, overwhelming health systems, disrupting economies, and reshaping daily life on a global scale.
The pandemic’s effects have been measured not only in infections and deaths, but also in long-term health complications, economic upheaval, and social change.
Origins and early spread
The first known cluster of pneumonia cases emerged in December 2019 in Wuhan. Chinese authorities identified a new coronavirus in January 2020.
By March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization formally declared COVID-19 a global pandemic.
Within weeks:
International travel accelerated global transmission
Major outbreaks took hold in Europe and the United States
Governments imposed lockdowns, travel bans, and emergency measures
Lives lost and human toll
Estimating the full death toll is complex, but the scale is historic:
Official global deaths: More than 7 million reported
Excess mortality estimates: 15–20 million or more worldwide
United States: Over 1.1 million deaths
Beyond mortality:
Millions experienced “long COVID” with lingering symptoms
Health systems faced extreme strain and workforce burnout
Families and communities experienced widespread loss and disruption
COVID-19 ranks among the deadliest pandemics in modern history, comparable in scale to the 1918 influenza pandemic in some regions.