EXCLUSIVE: Covid 19 Cicada variant ‘set to become dominant in UK - and put kids at risk'The Covid cicada variant is sweeping the UK as a leading microbiologist who is analysing the BA.3.2 strain here tells the Mirror it could disproportionately affect childrenView 5 Images Fears new variant could drive a Covid waveA new Covid strain named after a tropical insect is set to become dominant in the UK and could disproportionately affect children, a top expert says. ‌The Cicada variant - technical name BA.3.2 - is better at evading the body’s immune defences as it has around 75 genetic changes in its spike protein, the part of the virus that helps it get into cells. Prof Gupta said: “It has been found in the UK, has been increasing in prevalence and I would expect it to become the dominant strain. We have been looking at it in terms of immune evasion and the immunity that we’ve all got.”‌Timeline of Cicada emergenceThe cicada variant is a descendent of the Omicron variant that emerged in 2021 and was first detected in South Africa in 2024 before seeming to disappear. Cicada’s mutations to the spike protein mean that our antibodies take longer to recognise it as the invading Covid-19 virus.

Source: Daily Mirror March 31, 2026 12:06 UTC