Mila Shakya, Kevin C. Ma, Laura J. Hughes, Casey R. Smith, Lydia J. Atherton, Alexandria B. Boehm, Peter W. Cook, Daniel M. Cornforth, Meredith Elizabeth Davis Gardner, Iryna V. Goraichuk, Jennifer L. Harcourt, Heather Hicks, Marc Johnson, Anna Kelleher, Heather E. Reese, Susanna Sabin, Teresa Smith, Azaibi Tamin, Marlene K. Wolfe, Benjamin J. Silk, Clinton R. Paden, Natalie Thornburg, Adam MacNeil
The SARS-CoV-2 variant BA.3.2 was first identified in South Africa on November 22, 2024. BA.3.2 has approximately 70-75 substitutions and deletions in the gene sequence of the spike protein relative to JN.1 and its descendant, LP.8.1, the antigens used in the 2025-26 COVID-19 vaccines. CDC is using a multimodal SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance approach to monitor the emergence and spread of BA.3.2 and other SARS-CoV-2 variants internationally and within the United States. The first U.S. BA.3.2 detection occurred on June 27, 2025, through CDC's Traveler-Based Genomic Surveillance program in a participant traveling to the United States from the Netherlands. The first U.S. detection of BA.3.2 in a clinical specimen collected from a patient was reported on January 5, 2026. As of February 11, 2026, BA.3.2 had been detected in voluntarily self-collected nasal swabs from four U.S. travelers, clinical samples from five patients, three airplane wastewater samples, and 132 wastewater surveillance samples from 25 states. BA.3.2 has been reported by at least 23 countries. SARS-CoV-2 continues to cause substantial morbidity and mortality worldwide. BA.3.2 mutations in the spike protein have the potential to reduce protection from a previous infection or vaccination. Continued genomic surveillance is needed to track SARS-CoV-2 evolution and determine its potential effect on public health.