A Covid-19 variant has returned with a vengeance. The BA.3.2 version, nicknamed Cicada, has now been found in over 20 states. The virus is highly mutated, making it difficult for vaccines to recognize. Though similar to other viruses, this strain has the potential to become more prevalent.

How dangerous is it?
Cicada earned its name because, like the insect, it “first appeared back in 2024, went dormant for a while and resurfaced in the U.S. late last year,” said Northeastern Global News. BA.3.2 descended from the omicron variant of the Covid-19 virus, which made its debut in 2021.

The strain is making its rounds in the U.S. and can cause similar symptoms to other Covid strains, as well as other respiratory viruses, including a runny or stuffy nose, fever, chills, and sometimes nausea and vomiting. These similarities make it difficult to determine whether you have Covid-19 or another illness. 

There hasn’t been any data that “indicates that Cicada is any more severe than other circulating variants,” said Robert H. Hopkins Jr., the medical director of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, to USA Today. However, “we don’t know how quickly it will circulate or whether it will outrun the other variants that are out there at the moment,” said William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, to Politifact.

What precautions can you take?
The current Covid vaccines are “made to protect against strains from the JN.1 lineage of the coronavirus, which have been the most common strains in the U.S. since January 2024,” said Enfield. BA.3.2 doesn’t fill the bill and is “almost a complete stranger” to those in the U.S.

Despite this, experts still recommend getting the vaccine. In addition, the best thing to do is “when sick, get tested,” said Rajendram Rajnarayanan, an assistant dean and associate professor at the New York Institute of Technology’s College of Osteopathic Medicine, to USA Today. “If positive, stay home until better and confirm with a negative test. If that’s not possible, wear a fit N95 mask.”

Even though relations between China and the U.S. remain tense, many young Americans’ perspectives seem to be shifting as they adopt Chinese cultural habits. The online trend, dubbed Chinamaxxing, has non-Chinese content creators singing the praises of their newfound Chinese identity. At the same time, the meme’s prevalence has prompted some members of the Chinese diaspora to push back.

‘China’s growing soft power’
For social media users, Chinamaxxing translates to acting increasingly more Chinese. The trend can include “drinking hot water instead of iced lattes, wearing house slippers indoors or embracing traditional Chinese skin care routines,” said NPR. TikTok and Instagram users have taken to saying they are entering a “very Chinese time” in their lives. And the trend has been “amplified by Chinese diaspora influencers” such as Sherry Zhu, who shares “herbal skin care recipes and advice on becoming a Chinese ‘baddie.’”

The meme is not “bound by nationality or ethnicity; anyone can be Chinese if they wish,” said The New York Times. “And right now, many do.” As Labubus and other “Chinese cultural exports” win over global audiences, experts say that the spread of “being Chinese” on social media may “signal China’s growing soft power abroad.” For some American content creators, the memes are also a “wry expression of disillusionment with politics at home.”

‘Cool to be Chinese’
The trend has sparked mixed reactions from the Chinese diaspora, with some “worried about the potential for cultural appropriation,” said The Guardian. Even Zhu is concerned about non-Chinese creators reducing traditional medicine to a wellness fad. “I don’t want people to forget the benefits that my culture is providing,” she said to NPR.

In 2026, it’s “apparently cool to be Chinese,” said Cherie Wong, a Hong Kong Canadian activist, in an Instagram video. But before “white people claim they are drinking hot water” and in a “very Chinese time, I’mma need you to stop.” A very Chinese time in “my ancestry was my grandparents seeing all their schoolteachers get executed for being intellectuals.”

Penitents of the Cristo de la Buena Muerte (Christ of the Good Death) brotherhood take part in a Holy Week procession through the Spanish town of Zamora ahead of Easter Sunday.
Cesar Manso / AFP / Getty Images

Many of the most coveted beauty products come from South Korea, where innovative skin care using cutting-edge and sometimes unconventional ingredients is the norm. These nine standout items do more than just make your skin look good. They also help treat underlying issues and prevent new ones from starting.

Beauty of Joseon Red Bean Water Gel 
Let this one sink in. Gel moisturizers “hydrate without feeling heavy,” and Red Bean Water Gel, “in particular,” is “chock-full of red bean extract” and peptides to “deliver moisture while also absorbing sebum,” said Allure. It feels “cooling” and “refreshing” and layers “wonderfully” under other skin products and makeup. ($18, Beauty of Joseon)

Etude SoonJung pH 6.5 Whip Cleanser
Etude’s skin care items are “excellent,” especially this “cloudlike” cleanser that “suits all skin types,” said Allure. Because of its low pH, the product is “less likely” to interfere with your skin’s “natural barrier function,” and it doesn’t have any “potential irritants” that could “trigger irritation or breakouts.” The cleanser does contain “soothing” ingredients like madecassoside and panthenol, so it “hydrates as it removes impurities.” ($16, Ulta)

Medicube Zero Pore Pad
Zero Pore Pads are infused with salicylic acid, lactic acid and, it might seem, “magic,” said InStyle. That’s because the formula “not only hydrates but also calms and smooths” skin and can “drastically” improve acne scars. One side of the pad is textured for exfoliating, and the other side is smooth for pore-tightening. ($21, Ulta)