DAYTON — A new highly mutated COVID-19 variant is spreading, and health officials are trying to keep track of it.
The variant is known as “Cicada.”
News Center 7’s Amber Jenkins spent the day learning where the new variant was detected.
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Doctors are tracking the new COVID variant after a rise in cases. According to the Cener for Disease Control and Prevention, the variant has been detected in at least 23 countries, including the United States.
It has been found in wastewater in more than two dozen states. The variant was detected in Ohio in December 2025.
Updated COVID numbers from the Ohio Department of Health show 136 COVID cases related to hospitalizations from March 14-21.
It does not specify which variant is causing people to be hospitalized. News Center 7 reached out to multiple county health officials across the Miami Valley and was told the CDC is keeping track of reported cases.
Experts said it’s too early to know if it will spread more widely or how well vaccines will hold up against it. Health officials said they are watching for a possible summer surge.
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