New COVID variant spreads across US as CDC raises concerns: 'Viral evolution'

A new variant of COVID-19 is spreading across the U.S., health officials say.

At least 23 countries have reported the SARS-CoV-2 BA.3.2 variant as of Feb. 11, according to a study published last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The BA.3.2 variant, which the CDC has been tracking through its Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program, has about 70 to 75 changes in the gene sequence of its spike protein, which is a structure on the surface of the COVID-19 virus that helps it enter human cells.

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This strain has now been detected in nasal swabs from four U.S. travelers, clinical samples from five patients, three airplane wastewater samples, and 132 wastewater surveillance samples from 25 states, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

BA.3.2, which started rising in September 2025, was first confirmed in the U.S. in June 2025 in a person traveling to the U.S. from the Netherlands.

Weekly detections of the variant rose to about 30% of cases identified in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands from November 2025 to January 2026.

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The variant has shown "immune escape characteristics," the CDC stated, which means it has mutations that may help it partially evade existing immunity from vaccines or prior infection.

This could make infections more likely, but not necessarily more severe, according to experts.

"BA.3.2 represents a new lineage of SARS-CoV-2, genetically distinct from the JN.1 lineages (including LP.8.1 and XFG) that have circulated in the United States since January 2024," wrote the study authors.

The prevalence of the new variant may be even larger than the data suggests, as many countries have limited genomic detection and surveillance capacities, the researchers noted.

"Phylogenetic analyses have identified the emergence of two BA.3.2 sublineages (BA.3.2.1 and BA.3.2.2), indicating ongoing viral evolution," they wrote.

Because BA.3.2 mutations in the spike protein may weaken protection from vaccination or prior infection, the CDC researchers noted that ongoing genomic surveillance is needed to monitor the virus' evolution and assess its potential impact on public health.