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NB.1.8.1

BA.3.2 'Cicada' and the Great Silence: A New Variant Wave, Old Unanswered Questions

It is spring 2026, and the pattern is repeating itself. A new SARS-CoV-2 variant informally named “Cicada” (BA.3.2) is now detected in at least 31 U.S. states[1]. China and Hong Kong are simultaneously reporting their sharpest case rise “in at least a year”, driven by NB.1.8.1[2]. The WHO notes that “limited surveillance data” are increasingly hampering vaccination strategies worldwide[3].