New COVID ‘cicada’ variant spreads to 25 states | 31 March 2026 | A new COVID variant has been detected in at least 25 states, with experts confirming the mutation was first identified in the United States in June 2025. The BA [Bullsh*t Again] 3.2 variant, nicknamed “cicada,” was first detected in South Africa in November 2024, and infections in the U.S. began increasing in September 2025, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The variant was found in nasal swabs from four travelers, three airplane wastewater samples, clinical samples from five patients, and 132 wastewater samples across 25 states. According to the CDC, the mutation may help the virus evade antibodies from prior infections or vaccinations and appears to be highly transmissible. [Do not comply.]