‘Cicada’ COVID variant found in 25 US states. See map

USA Today – Friday, March 27, 2026
By Mary Walrath-Holdridge

A “highly mutated” COVID variant that flew under the radar for years has been detected in a growing number of U.S. states, health officials said this week.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in a March 19 report that it was tracking variant BA.3.2, nicknamed “Cicada,” after routine surveillance noted an increase in U.S. cases. The World Health Organization (WHO) likewise listed the strain on its “variants of monitoring” record, as it has been detected in at least 23 countries.

Cicada still accounts for only a small number of cases in the United States, but has ballooned to represent up to 30% in some European countries. Still, the CDC said its monitoring of the spread “provides valuable information about the potential for this new SARS-CoV-2 lineage to evade immunity from a previous infection or vaccination.”

“Cicada” is a nickname given to BA.3.2, a highly mutated COVID-19 variant. It was first detected in a person who did not live in but was traveling to the U.S. from abroad in June 2025 and was nicknamed after the rarely emerging insects because it has largely remained undetected or “underground” since discovery, Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, previously told USA TODAY.

The first case in a U.S. patient was diagnosed in January, he said. Between then and the latest available data from Feb. 11, it was detected in wastewater samples from 132 sites across at least 25 states, according to the CDC. The variant was also present in samples from travelers’ voluntary nose swabs. Cases began increasing worldwide in September 2025.

The variant is considered “highly mutated,” as its 70-75 mutations make it distinct from the JN.1 lineage, which has been the source of the predominant U.S. strains over the last two years, according to Hopkins.

The CDC’s latest data from Feb. 11 used wastewater collected by its National Wastewater Surveillance System and Stanford University’s WastewaterSCAN Dashboard. A pathogen’s existence and prominence can be measured by testing wastewater samples collected from sources such as sewage, industrial waste and stormwater runoff.

The testing tracked the presence of BA.3.2 in 25 states, including: California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Maryland, Massachusetts, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia and Wyoming.

What are the symptoms of Cicada?

Like most other variants, the symptoms of Cicada are the same as those of other COVID-19 infections. These may include:

• Runny or stuffy nose
• Headache
• Fatigue
• Sneezing
• Sore throat
• Coughing
• Changes to the sense of smell or taste

Some later variants have been associated with “razorblade throat” based on increased reports of throat pain.

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