A heavily mutated COVID-19 variant known as BA.3.2 -- nicknamed "cicada" for its emergence after a long dormancy -- has been detected in at least 25 states and 23 countries, according to the CDC. Scientists are watching it for one specific reason: it appears to be infecting children at higher rates than the variants that preceded it. [1]

BA.3.2 carries 70 to 75 mutations in its spike protein, making it "genetically distinct" from recently circulating strains, according to virologists cited by CNN. [2] It was first identified in South Africa in November 2024 and descends from BA.3, an Omicron subvariant from 2022 that had largely disappeared from surveillance. The mutation count is high enough that existing antibody immunity from prior infection or vaccination provides reduced protection, though vaccines are still expected to prevent severe disease. [1]

The children angle is the most clinically significant finding so far. Scientists say they do not yet fully understand why BA.3.2 appears to preferentially infect younger patients, but the pattern has been consistent across affected countries. Severity has not increased -- no surge in hospitalizations has been observed in Denmark, Germany, or the Netherlands, where cicada has circulated longest. [1]

Symptoms are identical to other COVID variants and indistinguishable from the common cold or flu: cough, fever, sore throat, congestion, fatigue. The CDC advises standard precautions. [1]

-- NORA WHITFIELD, Chicago