SAN ANTONIO — More than two dozen states have confirmed cases of a new COVID variant, with experts saying the mutation poses risks to people who were previously infected or vaccinated. And, it was largely undetected since it was discovered in late 2024, until now.
Experts say the new “cicada” variant doesn’t cause any new or unusual symptoms compared to other COVID variants. The main danger from the new strain of the virus is its ability to spread, and circumvent existing protections. Dr. Jason Bowling, an infectious disease specialist with University Health told us, “The biggest concern when you have a big shift in the variant of Covid virus that’s circulating, is that it’s going to be able to get around the antibodies that people have had from either prior infections or prior vaccination.”
During the 2024-2025 respiratory virus season the CDC said the virus caused at least 390,000 hospitalizations. It also resulted in at least 45,000 deaths nationwide. New mutations like cicada will likely further boost those numbers…