A new Covid variant, BA.3.2, has been detected in 25 U.S. states and may evade current vaccine protection, researchers warn in a new CDC report published this week.
A new Covid variant that researchers say could evade protection from current vaccines has been identified and is already spreading across the United States, according to a report published in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The strain, known as BA.3.2, has now been detected in 25 states, raising questions about whether existing shots offer adequate protection against it.
The variant has shown up in nasal swabs taken from four American travelers, clinical samples from five patients across four unidentified states, three airplane wastewater samples and 132 wastewater samples collected across more than 20 states. Researchers note that the wastewater data in particular suggests the variant’s actual reach is considerably broader than confirmed case counts currently reflect.
Where the variant came from
BA.3.2 is descended from omicron and was first detected in South Africa in 2024. It arrived in the U.S. in June 2025, initially identified in a traveler returning from the Netherlands, before beginning a more significant surge in September 2025. It has since been reported in 23 countries. While its evolutionary path is similar to BA.2.86 — the variant that eventually gave rise to JN.1, the dominant Covid strain of 2024 — researchers have been clear that BA.3.2 is genetically distinct from the JN.1 lineages that have circulated in the U.S. since January 2024, making it a genuinely new concern rather than a known quantity.
Why current vaccines may fall short
The strain carries approximately 70 to 75 genetic changes in its spike protein — the part of the coronavirus that allows it to enter human cells — that may make it both more transmissible and better equipped to sidestep immune protection. Laboratory studies found that BA.3.2 evades the body’s protective antibodies activated by Covid vaccines, likely due to those spike protein mutations.
Current Covid shots, including the 2025-2026 mRNA vaccine, are adapted to target JN.1 subvariants. In a laboratory study comparing seven variants, that vaccine showed the lowest antibody neutralization against BA.3.2, suggesting a potential gap in protection that could become more significant if the variant continues to spread. Researchers say the findings highlight the need for more data on real-world vaccine effectiveness and may eventually warrant updating current formulations.
Which states have detected BA.3.2
The variant has been found across a wide geographic footprint. The 25 states where BA.3.2 has been detected are: 1) California, 2) Connecticut, 3) Florida, 4) Hawaii, 5) Idaho, 6) Illinois, 7) Louisiana, 8) Maine, 9) Maryland, 10) Massachusetts, 11) Michigan, 12) Missouri, 13) Nevada, 14) New Hampshire, 15) New Jersey, 16) New York, 17) Ohio, 18) Pennsylvania, 19) Rhode Island, 20) South Carolina, 21) Texas, 22) Utah, 23) Vermont, 24) Virginia and 25) Wyoming.
How concerned should Americans be?
For now, the picture is incomplete but not immediately alarming. BA.3.2 is not among the currently dominant Covid variants in the U.S., and reported cases have not been more severe than those caused by other circulating strains. The variant was detected in hospitalized patients during December and January in three unidentified states, including 2 older adults with pre-existing health conditions and a young child who received outpatient care. All patients survived, and researchers cautioned that detection in hospitalized individuals does not establish that the variant causes more severe disease or is linked to specific risk factors.
More than 3,600 Covid deaths have been recorded in the U.S. so far this year, according to CDC data, though deaths, positive tests and emergency room visits for Covid have all declined compared to last year. With Covid now considered endemic, researchers expect the virus to keep mutating and new variants to keep emerging — making ongoing surveillance and a flexible public health response the most reliable tools available for managing what comes next.
Source: The Independent