Most Americans have done their best to put COVID behind them. And the latest CDC report suggests that infections are declining to low levels. Hospitalizations are also low and decreasing. All good! But just when most people thought they could stop thinking about COVID, the Cicada variant pulled a trick borrowed from Mother Nature:
- It disappeared
- It mutated
- It’s back!
What’s the Back Story on Cicada?
Researchers have nicknamed the newest COVID variant “Cicada” because, like the insects that spend years underground before emerging, this strain seemed to vanish after it was first detected in 2024. Now it has reappeared with an astonishing number of mutations—more than 70 changes in the spike protein alone.
The technical name for this SARS-CoV-2 variant is BA.3.2. According to the CDC, it was first detected in South Africa on November 22, 2024. This variant didn’t show up in the US until June 27, 2025. The CDC states that it has now been found in “wastewater samples in 29 states and Puerto Rico.”
How Worrisome Is Cicada?
So far, there are few hospitalizations linked to this variant. But the Cicada COVID version is substantially different from existing forms of SARS-CoV-2. Remember, it has 70 to 75 genetic changes. That means that the current vaccine is not likely to be as effective against Cicada as it was against past variants. We won’t know for several months how effective existing vaccines really are against the new strain.
Will Cicada be more dangerous? Hopefully not, but it may spread more easily. That could mean a summer surge in COVID infections. For reasons that scientists have been unable to explain, there has been a summer surge of this respiratory virus every year since 2020.
Think about it. Influenza and cold viruses seem to retreat every spring. That’s happening again this year. But every July and August, COVID rates have risen. Why? We have no good answers. We suspect that the new Cicada variant is likely to produce another summer surge.
The Bottom Line on Cicada
We understand that you are tired—really tired—of hearing about COVID. Everyone wants it to be over.
I am sorry to say that viruses don’t get tired. They keep changing, because that’s what viruses do.
The Cicada variant is a reminder that COVID has not disappeared. For now, it does not appear to be more dangerous, but it may be different enough to spread more easily and partially dodge immune protection. It appears that children may be especially vulnerable to this new COVID strain.
Just because you caught COVID once, or twice or even several times does not mean your body is protected against new variants. Think influenza. It comes back every year and just because you caught it last year does not guarantee protection next year. Although new COVID infections appear far less lethal than the early versions, some people may experience long COVID from this new variant.
We may be done thinking about COVID, but COVID is not quite done with us. Fortunately, we know a lot more about how to live with this virus than we did in 2020. And that knowledge gives us a big advantage as we face whatever comes next. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
