New COVID Variant 'Cicada' Spreading in US

0:00A new COVID variant called BA.3.2, nicknamed cicada, has popped up in 25 states across the U.S. Experts first spotted a hear back in June of 2025, and now it's showing up in wastewater, traveler swabs, and patient samples from. Places like California, New York, Florida, Texas, and more. This strain started in South Africa last November of 2024, and U.S. infections started climbing in September of this year, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The big worry is it might dot antibodies from old infections or shots, making it super contagious. Those symptoms stay pretty standard running nose, sore throat, fatigue, cough, that kind of thing. Even with COVID lighter now, it still led to hundreds of thousands of hospitalizations and tens of thousands of deaths last respiratory season. Experts like Dr. Robert Hopkins say there's no signs cicada hits harder than other variants. It's just sneaky, staying underground like the buggets. Name four until surveillance caught it.

1:04The CDC's ramping up tracking to stay ahead and tweak vaccines if needed. Keep an eye on local health updates. Stay vigilant with tests and boosters, and we'll circle back as this develops. That's the story for today. Birmingham News Today, driven by AI. I'm Cory with the story.