CDC Reports BA.3.2 Variant in 25 US States, 23 Countries

Health officials at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the detection of a new SARS-CoV-2 variant, BA.3.2, across the United States and in 23 countries worldwide as of February 11, 2026. This Omicron descendant, which carries mutations potentially allowing it to partially evade immunity from vaccines or prior infections, has been identified in clinical samples, travelers, and wastewater from 25 U.S. states, signaling a quiet but expanding presence since its emergence last year.

BA.3.2 was first identified in a respiratory sample from South Africa in November 2024. It reached the United States in June 2025, when genomic surveillance at San Francisco International Airport detected it in a traveler arriving from the Netherlands. Detections began to rise in September 2025, with the variant now confirmed in nasal swabs from four U.S. travelers, clinical samples from five patients across four states, three airplane wastewater samples, and 132 wastewater surveillance samples nationwide. These include sites in California, New York, Hawaii, Missouri, Wyoming, Texas, Florida, and others, according to the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Airport wastewater...