KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health has identified a new COVID-19 variant called XFG among 43,087 cases reported during Epidemiological Week 35 of 2025.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkifly Ahmad announced on social media platform X that the XFG variant accounted for 8.2% of total cases in that week.
He revealed that genomic surveillance showed the NB 1.8.1 variant remained dominant at 39.4%, followed by JN.1 at 18.1% and XEC at 13.3%, with other variants comprising 21%.
Cumulative cases reached 43,087 by EW35, representing a 49.5% decrease from the 85,297 cases reported during the same period in 2024.
Weekly cases in EW35 decreased by 12.8% with 594 cases compared to 681 in the previous week.
One new death was recorded in EW35 involving a bedridden 91-year-old senior citizen.
Cumulative COVID-19 deaths to date stand at three, reported in EW24, EW30, and EW35 of 2025.
Dr Dzulkifly advised the public to continue practicing basic preventive measures including frequent hand washing, mask-wearing when symptomatic or in crowded places, and vaccination for at-risk individuals. – Bernama
