Need to knowCovid cicada variant: Symptoms of BA.3.2 lineage 'set to become dominant' in UKHealth officials are monitoring symptoms linked to Covid-19 as a new 'cicada' variant spreads amid warnings it could disproportionately affect kidsThe new Covid variant is set to become dominant in the UK (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)Health officials have warned of red flag symptoms of a new Covid-19 variant set to sweep Britain. Covid symptoms are no longer hallmarked by the loss of taste and smell as they were in the first couple years of the pandemic, although that can still happen. Health experts believe that cicada does not seem to cause any new or unusual symptoms compared to other Omicron variants. Now after a period of going dormant, cicada has been detected in 23 countries and is spreading across the USA. Monitoring of the variant’s symptoms is more advanced in the USA where it has now been detected in the wastewater in 29 states.

Source: Daily Mirror March 31, 2026 21:45 UTC