A highly mutated COVID strain has arrived in Mass. wastewater

Key Points:

• The new COVID-19 variant BA.3.2, nicknamed the “cicada” variant for its stealth and long dormancy, has been detected in Massachusetts and 23 other countries, with evidence found in wastewater samples from 25 U.S. states.
• BA.3.2 first emerged in South Africa in November 2024 and is heavily mutated, showing signs of efficiently evading antibodies from the 2025-2026 COVID-19 vaccines, which primarily target the JN.1 strains.
• Experts caution that while BA.3.2 could potentially become the dominant strain in the U.S. and may drive a summer surge, there is currently insufficient data to confirm its impact on vaccine effectiveness or transmission.
• The World Health Organization states that current vaccines are still expected to protect against severe disease from BA.3.2, which has not caused increased hospitalizations or deaths and poses a low additional public health risk compared to other Omicron lineages.
• Unlike previous variants, BA.3.2 has not rapidly overtaken other strains or appeared prominently on the CDC’s variant tracker, suggesting it lacks significant advantages for widespread dominance but remains under observation by health experts.