Immunity fears as new Covid variant spreads to 23 countries

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyleA new Covid variant, BA.3.2, has been detected in 23 countries, including the UK and US.The variant, which descended from Omicron, was first identified in South Africa in 2024 and began to surge in September 2025. US scientists have raised concerns that the BA.3.2 variant is genetically distinct with numerous spike protein changes, potentially allowing it to spread more easily and evade immune protection. Laboratory studies suggest that the 2025–2026 LP.8.1-adapted mRNA Covid-19 vaccine may offer the lowest antibody neutralisation against BA.3.2 compared to other variants. Despite these concerns, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says that there is currently no evidence that BA.3.2 is more transmissible or causes more severe illness than previous variants. In fullNew Covid strain that could evade protection from vaccine found in UKThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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