The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced a new COVID variant had emerged in the U.S.<\/p>\n
The variant, called BA.3.2, was first detected in South Africa on Nov. 22, 2024, and as of this February, it has been reported in 23 countries. <\/p>\n
The information came from a study published last week in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, according to the University of Minnesota\u2019s CIDRAP publication<\/a>.<\/p>\n The World Health Organization (WHO) categorized the variant as one \u201cof interest\u201d last year, as well as \u201cpotentially emerging,\u201d the Mirror<\/a> reported in September.<\/p>\n It was detected in nasal swabs from four travelers, three airplane wastewater samples, clinical samples, and 132 wastewater samples from 25 states, the CDC<\/a> said.<\/p>\n The first positive test came last June from a traveler who went through San Francisco International Airport, the San Francisco Chronicle <\/a>reported. The person came from the Netherlands, according to CIDRAP<\/a>.<\/p>\n The Independent<\/a> said it is descended from the omicron variant and the current vaccines, which only target JN.1\u2019s subvariants, may not protect against the virus. The news outlet said \u201cthere are dozens of variants spreading\u201d currently.<\/p>\n While it is spreading, it is not the dominant strain, and it doesn\u2019t appear to be surging, the Chronicle<\/a> reported. <\/p>\n The California Department of Public Health said that COVID-19 activity \u201cremains very low statewide,\u201d according to the newspaper<\/a>.<\/p>\n It also does not appear that the BA.3.2 variant causes a different illness than other mutations. <\/p>\n