E-Paper
'Cicada' Covid variant sparks concerns. Should we be worried? All that we know
The new Covid variant nicknamed 'Cicada' — BA.3.2 — is a SARS-CoV-2 variant that is a descendent lineage of the Omicron variant BA.3, WHO said.
A new Covid variant nicknamed ‘Cicada’ has sparked concerns across the globe after reportedly being detected in samples of at least 23 countries, over six years after the virus sent the world in lockdown.
The mutation of virus which causes coronavirus disease (short for which is Covid) is common knowledge and new strains have popped up ever since the outbreak turned into a pandemic in March 2020.
The new Covid variant — BA.3.2 — is a SARS-CoV-2 variant that is a descendent lineage of the Omicron variant BA.3, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), which said the earliest sample of it were collected in November 2024.
BA.3.2 has been designated a SARS-CoV-2 Variant Under Monitoring (VUM), WHO said.
What is known about ‘Cicada’ Covid variant
-Where has Cicada been detected: As of February 11, 2026, BA.3.2 — nicknamed ‘Cicada’ — had been reported in 23 countries, according to the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC). Detections began increasing in September 2025, it said, adding that in the United States, BA.3.2 was detected in nasal swabs from four travelers, three airplane wastewater samples, clinical samples from five patients, and 132 wastewater samples from 25 states.
-70-75 mutations: The SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 was first identified in South Africa on November 22, 2024, CDC said. BA.3.2 has approximately 70–75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of the spike protein relative to JN.1 and its descendant, LP.8.1, the antigens used in the 2025–26 Covid vaccines, per CDC.
-Who gave the name Cicada? Cicada is not the variant's official name given by the WHO. The nickname ‘Cicada’ was coined by Dr T Ryan Gregory, a biology professor at the University of Guelph in Canada, to describe the BA.3.2 variant’s unique evolutionary pattern, according to a report by The Print.
-Story behind the name: The name was reportedly derived from the nature of the insect Cicada, which remains underground for years before surfacing.
-What WHO says: WHO, which has so far designated BA.3.2 as a variant under monitoring, said the variant exhibits marked antigenic drift and substantial antibody escape compared to earlier Omicron and current vaccine antigens. However, at present, there are no clinical or epidemiological data to suggest that BA.3.2 infection is associated with increased disease severity, diagnostic failure or reduced susceptibility to available antivirals compared with other Omicron descendent lineages, according to WHO's last release on the variant.
-Should we be worried? WHO said that based on current evidence, BA.3.2 does not appear to pose additional public health risks beyond those associated with other currently circulating Omicron descendent lineages, although its pronounced immune-escape profile warrants continued virological and epidemiological monitoring. WHO also said there are no signals of increased hospitalisations, ICU admissions, or deaths attributable to BA.3.2 in settings where it has been detected at present.
