PUTRAJAYA: A new Covid-19 variant has been detected in Malaysia, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic).
He said the XFG variant accounted for 8.2% of the 43,087 accumulated Covid-19 cases reported in the 35th epidemiology week (ME 35/2025).
He said the new variant was detected by the Health Ministry through genomic surveillance to track the spread of variants.
“The latest genomic surveillance data shows that 34% of the reported cases are of the NB.1.8.1 variant, followed by JN.1 (18.1%), XEC (13.3%), XFG (8.2%) and others (21.0%),” he posted on his X account yesterday.
He added that the number of Covid-19 cases recorded in ME 35/2025 was a 49.5% drop compared with the number of cases reported in the same period last year, which was 85,297.
Dzulkefly said one death has also been reported in ME 35/2025 – a 91-year-old bedridden person – bringing the total number of deaths this year to three.
In June this year, the World Health Organisation designated the XFG variant as a “variant under monitoring” due to its high transmissibility and increased ability to evade immunity.
Dzulkefly reminded the public to continue preventive measures such as frequent handwashing, wearing face masks when symptomatic or in crowded areas and getting vaccinated, especially those in high-risk groups.
