Health Officials Warn of ‘Hyper-Mutated’ COVID Strain That First Appeared In US Last June

Key Points:

• The "Cicada" COVID-19 variant, first identified in South Africa in late 2024, has been mutating since arriving in the US via San Francisco International Airport last summer and is now detected in 31 states and over 30 countries, though its overall prevalence remains low.
• This variant carries extensive mutations in the spike protein, which may help it evade immunity from prior infections or vaccinations, raising concerns about reduced vaccine effectiveness, especially during summer when COVID transmission typically increases.
• Despite its mutations, there is no evidence that the Cicada variant causes more severe illness compared to previous strains, according to experts and data from countries with higher variant spread.
• Wastewater surveillance shows varying estimates of Cicada's presence, with about 7% of samples nationwide in late March and up to 20% in some regions in early April, but reduced testing complicates accurate tracking.
• Health officials continue to recommend vaccination, particularly for vulnerable populations, emphasizing that current vaccines still protect against severe disease and can be updated to better match emerging variants like Cicada.