Cicada COVID Variant: What You Need to Know

0:00It's April 24th. Welcome to Durham News Today, powered by AI. Yo, check this out. A new COVID variant called cicada, or BA.3.2, is popping up in 25 states as of March 19th, including South Carolina, but North Carolina wastewater is still clear as of April 15th. It's from the Omicron family, first spotted back in 2024, and got its name because advantages in resurfaces like the bug carries about. 70 mutations compared to the vaccines for 2025, 2026, which might make it spread faster and dodge some immunity from. Shots or past cases. Experts like Dr. David Woll from UNC Health say symptoms match other strains, no worse sickness, and folks aren't panicking since it's not hitting, harder. But the mutations have health officials watching close for any shifts in how it behaves. North Carolina stopped tracking variants in patient samples, and cut back on wastewater checks, so tests won't tell you if it's cicada specifically, whether over the counter

1:02or PCR. Vaccines and boosters are still your best bet for protection and treatment stays the same as before. Keep boosters and test if you feel off to stay. Ahead of this cicada buzz.