In the state of California, the emergence of a subvariant of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) is reported. This is BA.3.2, popularly called “Cicada”. The most serious thing is that, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), it does not respond to previous vaccines.
Scientists warn that the low vaccination rate, especially among people over 65 years of age, can increase the vulnerability of the population, he reported. Telemundo News.
In California, only 29% of that segment of older adults has updated their vaccination.
Origins of the virus
The term “cicada”, in addition to presenting it with a certain similarity to its father, COVID, refers to the cicada, an insect known for disappearing for years and suddenly reappearing.
COVID BA.3.2 was first detected on US soil in June 2025, when a traveler from the Netherlands landed at San Francisco International Airport. Since then, its advance has been silent but sustained, and now it is raising alarm about its spread.
The variant was initially identified in South Africa at the end of 2024, but it was in Europe where it found favorable conditions to spread before crossing the Atlantic. So far, BA.3.2 had been detected in at least 33 countries, with Australia, Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands being the most affected according to the CDC.
In California, health authorities reported low levels of the variant in wastewater surveillance systems, with no reports of greater clinical severity among those infected, reported Detroit News.
A variant that “does not play by the same rules”
Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, an infectious disease expert at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), noted that Cicada “looks so different from the other variants that have circulated since JN.1 arrived” in late 2023. CDC laboratory studies indicate that BA.3.2 efficiently evades immunity generated by previous vaccinations or infections, raising the possibility of a seasonal rebound.
However, specialists such as Dr. Tyler B. Evans warn that the variant “is spreading, but not as quickly as some other variants.”
The summer COVID
Dr. Silverman of UCLA warned that “this Cicada variant could be rising just in time for what would be more of a summer of COVID,” and reminded that “COVID is still here; people can’t trust it because there was no rebound this past winter.”
The California Department of Public Health recommends that older and immunocompromised adults receive two doses of the updated vaccine, six months apart. For Chin-Hong, “the biggest threat is the low vaccination rate in seniors.”
Symptoms of Cicada
The BA.3.2 variant presents similar symptoms to other Ómicron variants, focusing on upper respiratory infections. The main symptoms include: fever/chills, persistent cough, sore throat, hoarseness, extreme fatigue, nasal congestion, and muscle aches or headaches.
Main symptoms:
- Severe sore throat and hoarseness
- Dry and persistent cough
- Extreme fatigue or tiredness
- Congestion or runny nose
- Fever and chills
- Muscle pain and headaches
Less common symptoms:
- Loss of smell/taste
- Nausea
- Diarrhea.
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