How Many US States Detected the Cicada COVID Variant? Latest 2026 Update
As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to evolve, a new highly mutated variant nicknamed "Cicada" has emerged across the United States. Named after the insects that remain underground for years before surfacing, this variant—scientifically designated BA.3.2—spent an extended period undetected before reemerging in 2025 and 2026 . For public health officials and concerned citizens alike, understanding where this variant has been detected is crucial for assessing community risk and making informed health decisions.
The Direct Answer: 25 States (as of February 2026)
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), as of February 11, 2026, the Cicada COVID-19 variant had been detected in 25 U.S. states through the National Wastewater Surveillance System and other genomic monitoring programs . This data represents the most comprehensive official count from the CDC's March 19, 2026 report.
The 25 states where the variant was detected in wastewater surveillance samples include:
California, Connecticut, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Wyoming .
Notably, Rhode Island had the highest number of wastewater detections with 27 samples, followed by Maine with 19 and New Hampshire with 17 .
Expanded Detection: 29 States by March 2026
More recent surveillance data indicates the variant's continued spread. By March 12, 2026, the CDC had detected BA.3.2 in wastewater samples from 29 U.S. states, plus Puerto Rico. The total wastewater detections had grown from 132 samples in February to 260 samples by mid-March . This expansion demonstrates the variant's ongoing circulation and the importance of continued genomic surveillance.
Wisconsin, which was not among the initial 25 states, subsequently confirmed the variant in its wastewater systems as of March 27, 2026, with neighboring states Michigan and Illinois also reporting detections .
How the Cicada Variant Is Detected: Surveillance Methods
The CDC employs a comprehensive multimodal approach to track emerging COVID-19 variants. Understanding these detection methods provides context for the state-by-state counts:
Wastewater Surveillance
The National Wastewater Surveillance System (NWSS) and WastewaterSCAN monitor approximately 1,300 and 150 wastewater sites respectively across the country. This method can detect viral presence in communities even before clinical cases are identified . Wastewater testing has proven particularly valuable for detecting the Cicada variant, accounting for the majority of detections.
Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance (TGS)
The first detection of BA.3.2 in the United States occurred on June 27, 2025, through the TGS program. A traveler arriving from the Netherlands was identified as carrying the variant. The program also detected the variant in airplane wastewater samples at San Francisco International Airport, John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Washington Dulles International Airport .
Clinical Specimen Testing
The first clinical case—meaning a patient seeking medical care—was reported on January 5, 2026. As of February 11, 2026, the CDC had identified the variant in respiratory samples from five patients . These cases included a young outpatient child and two older adults with comorbidities who were hospitalized; all patients survived .
Why Is It Called the "Cicada" Variant?
The nickname "Cicada" was coined by T. Ryan Gregory, a professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Guelph. The name draws an analogy to cicada insects, which live underground for years before emerging en masse. Similarly, the BA.3.2 variant—a descendant of the BA.3 lineage—had not been circulating since early 2022 and remained largely undetected before its reemergence . This extended period of "hiding" makes the variant particularly notable from an evolutionary perspective.
Global Context: 23 Countries Worldwide
The Cicada variant was first identified in South Africa on November 22, 2024, in a respiratory sample from a five-year-old child . Subsequently, it was detected in Mozambique (March 2025), the Netherlands (April 2025), and Germany (April 2025) before rising more substantially in September 2025 .
By February 11, 2026, BA.3.2 had been reported in at least 23 countries across multiple continents. In some northern European countries—including Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands—the variant accounted for approximately 30% of COVID-19 sequences by January 2026 .
Genetic Characteristics: A Highly Mutated Variant
The Cicada variant carries approximately 70 to 75 substitutions and deletions in the spike protein gene sequence relative to JN.1 and its descendant LP.8.1, which were the antigens used in the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccines . This high degree of mutation raises concerns about immune evasion, as the virus may be less recognizable to antibodies generated by previous infections or vaccinations.
However, it's important to note that while the variant may more effectively evade immunity, current data does not indicate increased disease severity. Hospitalizations and deaths have not shown significant increases associated with this variant, and symptoms remain similar to other Omicron sublineages .
Symptoms of the Cicada Variant
According to the CDC and healthcare providers tracking the variant, symptoms associated with BA.3.2 are largely consistent with other COVID-19 infections . Common symptoms include:
Sore throat
Cough
Runny or stuffy nose
Fatigue
Headache
Fever or chills
Muscle or body aches
Congestion
Less common symptoms may include loss of taste or smell, nausea, vomiting, and in some cases, night sweats or skin rashes . The severity of symptoms typically depends on individual factors such as vaccination status, age, and underlying health conditions.
Protection and Prevention
Despite the variant's immune-evasion potential, COVID-19 vaccines remain effective at preventing severe disease, hospitalization, and death . Public health officials recommend:
Staying up to date with COVID-19 vaccinations and boosters
Wearing high-quality masks (N95 or equivalent) in crowded indoor settings
Improving ventilation by opening windows or using HEPA air cleaners
Practicing good hand hygiene
Staying home and isolating if symptomatic or testing positive
For individuals at higher risk—including older adults and those with underlying medical conditions—consulting with healthcare providers about additional preventive measures is particularly important as new variants circulate .
Looking Forward
The CDC and global health partners continue to monitor the BA.3.2 lineage through genomic surveillance networks, including the WHO's CoViNet and open-access databases like GISAID . While the variant has not yet become dominant in the United States—the XFG variant remained the most prevalent as of March 2026—its continued spread across states and countries warrants attention .
As of late March 2026, the prevalence of BA.3.2 among sequenced COVID-19 cases in the U.S. had increased from 0.19% to 0.55% between December 2025 and March 2026 . Whether this trend continues upward will determine the variant's ultimate impact on public health.
Conclusion
As of February 11, 2026, the Cicada COVID-19 variant had been detected in 25 U.S. states through the CDC's wastewater surveillance system. By March 2026, that number had expanded to 29 states plus Puerto Rico. While the variant is highly mutated and may partially evade existing immunity, it does not appear to cause more severe illness than other circulating variants. Continued surveillance, vaccination, and common-sense precautions remain the most effective strategies for protecting individual and community health.
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