The latest variant of COVID-19, BA.3.2, has been assessed as posing a low global risk by Argentina’s health authorities, who emphasize the need for continued vigilance and adherence to preventive measures.

Argentina’s Health Ministry confirmed this Tuesday the country’s first detection of the COVID-19 subvariant BA.3.2 in Buenos Aires province, where three cases were registered, one requiring hospitalization.

Although the strain shows moderate immune escape, health officials affirmed it poses no public health risk.

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The National Administration of Laboratories and Health Institutes “Dr. Carlos G. Malbrán” confirmed through genomic surveillance that the three BA.3.2 cases involved one adult and two elder adults, one of whom was hospitalized due to pre-existing conditions; all three, however, recovered favorably.

According to the latest National Epidemiological Bulletin (BEN, in Spanish), SARS-CoV-2 circulation in Argentina has remained low and stable throughout 2026, in contrast to higher activity levels recorded for influenza and respiratory syncytial virus.

| Argentina confirmó sus primeros tres casos de la variante BA.3.2 de COVID-19 (un linaje descendiente de Ómicron clasificado como Variante Bajo Monitoreo) detectados por la ANLIS Malbrán en residentes de la provincia de Buenos Aires. Aunque uno de los pacientes requirió… pic.twitter.com/M4LFPIacL8

— UHN Plus — Salud (@UHN_Plus_Salud) September 8, 2026

Text reads: “Argentina confirmed its first three cases of the BA.3.2 variant of COVID-19 (a descendant lineage of Ómicron classified as Low Monitoring Variant) detected by Malbrán Institute (ANALIS) in residents of the province of Buenos Aires. Although one of the patients required hospitalization due to comorbidities, all progressed favorably and health authorities clarified that sublindisation does not pose a substantial additional risk or lead to more severe conditions.”

BA.3.2 was first identified in South Africa in November 2024 and classified as a Variant Under Monitoring (VUM). Its detection in Argentina adds to previous cases reported in the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Costa Rica and French Guiana, further expanding its geographic footprint across the Americas.

“BA.3.2 does not currently represent a substantial additional risk to health,” the bulletin stated, though it stressed the need to maintain virological and epidemiological surveillance to detect any changes in the strain’s behavior.

Officials also noted that the local detection “highlights the detection capacity of the country’s genomic surveillance system”: between April and July 2026, the National Reference Laboratory sequenced 21 SARS-CoV-2 genomes, 14% of which corresponded to BA.3.2, marking the first concrete evidence of its circulation on Argentine soil. Globally, the subvariant reached close to 20% of reported sequences in early 2026 before declining to 6.45% by July, reflecting uneven dynamics across countries.

Limited Clinical Risk

The bulletin acknowledged that BA.3.2 shows “marked immune escape, with neutralizing antibody titers substantially lower” than other strains descended from the JN.1 variant. Despite this, COVID-19 vaccines remain protective against severe disease, even against this subvariant.

Available phenotypic studies point to lower intrinsic infectivity, reduced capacity to induce lipid membrane fusion, and weaker binding to the ACE2 enzyme -the virus’s main entry point into cells-compared with other JN.1-descendant lineages, which limits its competitiveness and explains why it has not sustainably displaced dominant variants.

“There are currently no epidemiological signals of greater clinical severity,” the document added, meanwhile it ruled out any rise in hospitalizations or mortality linked to BA.3.2. No diagnostic test failures or reduced antiviral susceptibility have been observed either, although officials cautioned that “evidence on clinical severity is limited and should be interpreted with caution” given reduced international reporting of severe-disease indicators.

Overall global risk remains low, but authorities emphasized continued vigilance to catch any shift in transmissibility or severity.

Following this, Argentinean health authorities are urging the public to keep vaccination schedules current for influenza, SARS-CoV-2, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type B, Bordetella pertussis and respiratory syncytial virus. Additional recommendations include frequent handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes with the elbow, avoiding shared personal items, disinfecting surfaces regularly, and ensuring proper ventilation indoors.

Anyone with respiratory symptoms should limit contact with others until at least 24 hours have passed without fever, without the use of fever-reducing medication, and should seek medical care promptly if symptoms worsen – guidance that applies equally to travelers returning from countries currently experiencing higher influenza activity.

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