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Rachel V Thomas

Cicada Variant: Will The Current COVID Vaccine Provide Protection?

The BA.3.2 <span>COVID</span>-19 variant, nicknamed Cicada, is evading capable antibodies gained from previous vaccinations. According to experts, it is less likely that the currently available COVID vaccines will provide protection. 

As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cicada — a highly mutated variant of COVID — has already been reported in at least 23 countries, including 25 states in America. It has also been detected in 132 wastewater samples from Massachusetts. 

<h2>What Is The <span rel="noindex">Cicada COVID Variant</span>? </h2>

Cicada was first identified in a respiratory sample in South Africa in November 2024. 

It is a descendant of the Omicron BA.3 lineage, and is genetically distinct from the previously circulating JN.1 lineages (including LP.8.1 and XFG). 

BA.3.2 comprises two major branches, BA.3.2.1 and BA.3.2.2. BA.3.2.2 also has substitutions like: K356T, A575S, R681H, and R1162P. 

The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated BA.3.2 as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). It means the variant may not be that dangerous yet, but it may have concerning mutations. 

The CDC’s latest <a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/ba-3-2-us-cdc-warns-of-new-immune-evasive-covid-variant-in-23-countries-article-153917107" data-type="tilCustomLink">Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report </a> explains that Cicada has “70 to 75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of its spike protein”. 

<h2>Will Current COVID Vaccines Work? </h2>

The variant is particularly concerning as it provides no immune protection to people with previous infection or even vaccination. 

“The number of mutations from JN.1 viruses makes it less likely that the current vaccines will be highly effective against Cicada, but we need more data to better answer this question,” Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told USA TODAY. 

However, according to the WHO, current COVID vaccines are expected to continue protecting against severe disease. Moreover, the WHO said BA.3.2 doesn’t seem to be making people sicker so far and hasn’t resulted in increased hospitalizations and deaths. 

“Overall, available evidence suggests that BA.3.2 poses low additional public health risk compared with other circulating Omicron descendant lineages,” WHO said. 

And unlike previous strains, BA.3.2 hasn’t rapidly overtaken other variants; in fact, it hasn’t fueled enough cases nationally to land on the CDC’s variant tracker. 

“If it had really special advantages, we’d probably have seen it take off and dominate globally relatively quickly,” Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told TODAY.com. “We didn’t see that, but it’s not going away, so it’s something to keep an eye on.” 

<strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-wellness/unique-symptoms-of-cicada-the-highly-mutated-new-covid-variant-of-2026-article-153932953" data-type="tilCustomLink">Unique Symptoms Of 'Cicada' The Highly Mutated New COVID Variant Of 2026</a>

 <h2>Will Cicada Become The Dominant COVID Strain </h2>

Hopkins Jr. expressed the possibility that "Cicada can become the dominant strain in the US”. While it is not certain, it can also "drive a US summer surge.” 

The CDC has also warned that a new variant "with substantial capacity to evade immunity from previous infections or vaccines could be associated with seasonal increases in COVID-19 activity.” 

<strong>Also read: </strong><a href="https://www.healthandme.com/health-news/covid-variant-ba-3-2-spreads-to-23-countries-is-the-variant-under-monitoring-a-cause-of-worry-article-153924347" data-type="tilCustomLink">COVID Variant BA.3.2 Spreads To 23 Countries: Is The Variant Under Monitoring A Cause Of Worry?</a>

T Ryan Gregory, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph stated that  Cicada is emerging as a contender for the next major lineage.

He wrote on social media platform X: "Well, it's that time again. Meet "Cicada", BA.3.2* (including descendant RE.*). This one has been underground for years (its ancestor BA.3 hasn't been circulating since early 2022, and didn't do much then either) but is now emerging as a contender for the next major lineage." 

While most of the symptoms of this new variant remain the same as those of the other variants, one thing that stands out here is the gastrointestinal symptoms that cicada could cause. 

However, experts note that this variant will not make anyone sicker. Other symptoms include: 

<ul><li>Cough </li><li>Fever or chills </li><li>Sore throat </li><li>Congestion </li><li>Shortness of breath </li><li>Loss of smell or taste </li><li>Fatigue </li><li>Headache.</li></ul>

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The BA.3.2 COVID-19 variant, nicknamed Cicada, is evading capable antibodies gained from previous vaccinations. According to experts, it is less likely that the currently available COVID vaccines will provide protection. As per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Cicada — a highly mutated variant of COVID — has already been reported in at least 23 countries, including 25 states in America. It has also been detected in 132 wastewater samples from Massachusetts. What Is The Cicada COVID Variant? Cicada was first identified in a respiratory sample in South Africa in November 2024. It is a descendant of the Omicron BA.3 lineage, and is genetically distinct from the previously circulating JN.1 lineages (including LP.8.1 and XFG).  BA.3.2 comprises two major branches, BA.3.2.1 and BA.3.2.2. BA.3.2.2 also has substitutions like: K356T, A575S, R681H, and R1162P.  The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated BA.3.2 as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). It means the variant may not be that dangerous yet, but it may have concerning mutations. The CDC’s latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report  explains that Cicada has “70 to 75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of its spike protein”. Will Current COVID Vaccines Work?  The variant is particularly concerning as it provides no immune protection to people with previous infection or even vaccination.  “The number of mutations from JN.1 viruses makes it less likely that the current vaccines will be highly effective against Cicada, but we need more data to better answer this question,” Dr. Robert H. Hopkins Jr., medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, told USA TODAY.  However, according to the WHO, current COVID vaccines are expected to continue protecting against severe disease. Moreover, the WHO said BA.3.2 doesn’t seem to be making people sicker so far and hasn’t resulted in increased hospitalizations and deaths.    “Overall, available evidence suggests that BA.3.2 poses low additional public health risk compared with other circulating Omicron descendant lineages,” WHO said. And unlike previous strains, BA.3.2 hasn’t rapidly overtaken other variants; in fact, it hasn’t fueled enough cases nationally to land on the CDC’s variant tracker. “If it had really special advantages, we’d probably have seen it take off and dominate globally relatively quickly,” Andrew Pekosz, a virologist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, told TODAY.com. “We didn’t see that, but it’s not going away, so it’s something to keep an eye on.” Also read: Unique Symptoms Of 'Cicada' The Highly Mutated New COVID Variant Of 2026 Will Cicada Become The Dominant COVID Strain Hopkins Jr. expressed the possibility that "Cicada can become the dominant strain in the US”. While it is not certain, it can also "drive a US summer surge.” The CDC has also warned that a new variant "with substantial capacity to evade immunity from previous infections or vaccines could be associated with seasonal increases in COVID-19 activity.” Also read: COVID Variant BA.3.2 Spreads To 23 Countries: Is The Variant Under Monitoring A Cause Of Worry?What Makes Cicada So Unique? T Ryan Gregory, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph stated that  Cicada is emerging as a contender for the next major lineage.He wrote on social media platform X: "Well, it's that time again. Meet "Cicada", BA.3.2* (including descendant RE.*). This one has been underground for years (its ancestor BA.3 hasn't been circulating since early 2022, and didn't do much then either) but is now emerging as a contender for the next major lineage." While most of the symptoms of this new variant remain the same as those of the other variants, one thing that stands out here is the gastrointestinal symptoms that cicada could cause. However, experts note that this variant will not make anyone sicker. Other symptoms include: Cough Fever or chills Sore throat Congestion Shortness of breath Loss of smell or taste Fatigue Headache.

cicada variant: will the current covid vaccine provide protection?

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