KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 — The Health Ministry (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 said that 8.2 per cent of the total cases reported in EW35 were the XFG variant.
Via genomic surveillance, the NB 1.8.1 variant remained dominant, accounting for 39.4 per cent, followed by JN.1 (18.1 per cent) and XEC (13.3 per cent), while other variants made up 21 per cent.
"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 per cent)," he said on X (formerly Twitter) last night.
Dr Dzulkifly added that weekly cases in EW35 showed a 12.8 per cent decrease, with 594 cases compared to 681 in EW34.
One new death was recorded in EW35, involving a bedridden 91-year-old senior citizen.
"The cumulative Covid-19 deaths to date are three (reported in EW 24/2025, EW 30/2025, and EW 35/2025)," he said.
Dr Dzulkifly advised the public to continue practising basic preventive measures, especially frequent hand washing, wearing face masks if symptomatic or in crowded places, and getting vaccinated if they are at risk.
