KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) has detected a new COVID-19 variant, XFG, among the 43,087 cases reported in Epidemiological Week (EW) 35/2025.
Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, announced on the X platform that 8.2% of the total cases reported in EW35 were the XFG variant.
He stated that through genomic surveillance, the NB 1.8.1 variant remained dominant, accounting for 39.4%, followed by JN.1 (18.1%) and XEC (13.3%), while other variants made up 21%.
"Cumulatively, as of EW35/2025, a total of 43,087 cases have been reported, compared to 85,297 cases for the same period in 2024 (a decrease of 49.5%)," he said.
Dr Dzulkefly added that weekly cases in EW35 showed a 12.8% decrease, with 594 cases compared to 681 in EW34.
He added that one new death was recorded in EW35, involving a bedridden 91-year-old senior citizen.
"The cumulative COVID-19 deaths to date are 3 (reported in EW 24/2025, EW 30/2025, and EW 35/2025)," he said.
He also advised the public to continue practicing basic preventive measures, especially frequent hand washing, wearing face masks if symptomatic or in crowded places, and getting vaccinated if they are at risk.
-- BERNAMA
