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Is your Covid shot still effective against new BA.3.2 variant? Here’s what we know so far
COVID Cicada variant BA.3.2 detected globally with 75 mutations, raising concerns over antibody evasion and possible reduced vaccine effectiveness.
COVID ‘Cicada’ variant BA.3.2 has emerged with around 75 mutations. (Representative image)
A Covid-19 variant, officially BA.3.2, with the nickname “Cicada” is now spreading quickly in the United States, as confirmed by the weekly report by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of February 11, 2026, the variant has been reported in 23 countries.
Here’s what we know about this Covid-19 strain so far
When was it first detected?
Descending from the Omicron variant (2021), ‘Cicada’ emerged for the first time in South Africa in November 2024 and was detected in the US in June 2025.
Where were the variants tracked to?
Detections began increasing in September 2025. In the United States, BA.3.2 was detected in nasal swabs from four travellers, three airplane wastewater samples, clinical samples from five patients, and 132 wastewater samples from 25 US states.
According to a report by the PBS, experts in Europe and North America are also on high alert. The variant is part of the Omicron family with over 70-75 strains mutations to the dominant strain. In Northern Europe, it grew more prevalent in winters, with 30% of cases in Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands linked to the “cicada” variant.
Are Covid-19 vaccines effective against the BA.3.2 variant?
Current Covid-19 vaccines are made to protect against strains from the JN.1 lineage of the virus, which have been the most common strains in the US since January 2024. However, BA.3.2 has 70-75 mutations in its spike protein.
The 2025–2026 Covid-19 vaccines (LP.8.1-adapted mRNA formulation and JN.1-adapted protein formulation) provide protection against the currently circulating predominant US variants.
However, in laboratory studies, the recently emerged BA.3.2 strain efficiently evades antibodies, likely because of spike protein mutations, as stated in the Weekly report of the US CDC.
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Widespread infection and vaccine conferred immunity have decreased rates of severe Covid-19 over time, the public health impact of COVID-19 is still considerable, says CDC report. An estimated 3,90,000–5,50,000 hospitalisations and 45,000–64,000 deaths occurred during the 2024–25 respiratory virus season in the United States. In India, 6 Covid-19 cases were reported as on February 6, 2026 as informed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
New SARS-CoV-2 variants with substantial capacity to evade immunity from previous infections or vaccines could be associated with seasonal increases in Covid-19 activity.
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