The CDC says ‘Cicada’ COVID has now been detected in 25 states, including California. It’s not yet here in San Diego.
SAN DIEGO — It has been a while since COVID made headlines, but there is a new variant doctors want to warn you about.
The medical name is BA 3.2, but its nickname is “cicada” — just like the bug — and it appears to be having a particular impact on children.
Kids do seem to be getting it more, but thankfully are not experiencing greater complications.
The days of masking and social distancing seem far in the distance, but the virus that shut down the world is still circulating. The Centers for Disease Control says cicada COVID has now been detected in 25 states, including California.
“COVID is one of the weirdest viral infections I’ve ever seen in my career,” said Dr. Andrew Eads, a physician at Sharp Memorial Hospital’s Emergency Department.
Dr. Eads isn’t seeing any cicada cases at the local emergency department, and the county’s Health and Human Services Agency confirmed there is no evidence of cicada in the wastewater they’re still testing — but they say it’s only a matter of time.
Cicada is a subvariant of Omicron that appears to have originated in South Africa, and now accounts for about 30 percent of cases in Europe.
“What we know about the new variant is that it has a lot of mutations, a lot of spike proteins, possibly evading the immunity you’ve had from a previous infection or the vaccine. It also seems to be impacting kids with a slightly higher frequency,” Dr. Eads added.
Kids ages three through the late teens are contracting cicada COVID more often, but the good news is it doesn’t appear to be causing more severe illness. If you’re young and healthy — rest, stay hydrated, and let your immune system do its thing. But it is once again a time to be mindful of who you’re around, especially grandparents and those who are immunocompromised.
“COVID is still a pretty serious illness. It’s still hospitalizing people, and people are dying from it. Thankfully, much less than before because of the treatments we have, vaccines, and previous infections — but it’s still something we need to pay attention to,” the doctor said.
Symptoms, prevention
Symptoms still include everything from no symptoms at all to:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath
- Headache
- Nausea
- Loss of taste or smell
Continue to get tested if you have been exposed or show any symptoms.
“You’re probably still going to have some coverage from the vaccines you’ve had in the past and the infections you’ve had in the past, it’s just – this has developed enough mutations to put people on notice that it may be escaping some of those immune defenses we’ve developed,” Dr. Eads added.
As for prevention, the same advice still applies.
Wear a mask in a crowded space if that makes you more comfortable, keep rooms well ventilated, gather outside if concerned and wash your hands often.
