Malaysia records first Covid death of 2025

Southeast Asian nation has recorded nearly 22,000 cumulative Covid cases so far this year

Malaysia saw its first Covid death of 2025 earlier this month, health authorities said.

The health ministry noted that this was the first Covid fatality since 26 May last year.

The deceased had heart disease and diabetes and hadn’t taken a second booster shot.

“This marks a significant decline compared to 57 Covid deaths reported in 2024, with the last fatality recorded on May 26 last year,” the ministry said in a statement on Thursday.

From January to 15 June this year, Malaysia recorded 21,738 cumulative Covid cases, with the weekly average holding at about 900, The Rakyat Post reported.

The ministry reported a sharp 68 per cent week-on-week increase with 3,379 cases from 8 to 15 June compared to 2,011 the week prior.

Despite the rise, the ministry stressed the national situation remained stable and well below the alert threshold.

At least six individuals with underlying health conditions had been admitted to ICU. “All cases were closely monitored with care, with all patients discharged from the ICUs. Four were allowed to return home, with two transferred to normal wards,” the ministry said.

The new Nimbus Covid strain (NB.1.8.1) is rapidly spreading around the world and is being closely monitored by the World Health Organisation. This strain is linked to a rise in infections in several parts of Asia, including India, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore.

First recognised in January 2025, NB.1.8.1, an omicron variant, is now the dominant variant in China and Hong Kong. It has also spread to the US and Australia.

“SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve, and between January and May 2025, there were shifts in global SARS-CoV-2 variant dynamics,” a WHO spokesperson said earlier.

“At the beginning of the year, the most prevalent variant tracked by WHO at the global level was XEC, followed by KP.3.1.1. In February, circulation of XEC began to decline while that of LP.8.1 increased, with the latter becoming the most detected variant in mid-March. Since mid-April, the circulation of LP.8.1 has been slightly declining as NB.1.8.1 is increasingly being detected.”

By late April, NB.1.8.1 comprised about 10.7 per cent of submitted sequences globally, according to the WHO, up from just 2.5 per cent a month before.

The WHO has designated Nimbus as a Variant Under Monitoring. Preliminary data suggests that Nimbus spreads more rapidly than earlier variants.

Reported symptoms commonly include a sharp, razor-like sore throat, fatigue, mild cough, fever, muscle aches, and nasal congestion.

However, the public health risk posed by this variant is evaluated as low at the global level. “Despite a concurrent increase in cases and hospitalisations in some countries where NB.1.8.1 is widespread, current data don’t indicate that this variant leads to more severe illness than other variants in circulation,” the WHO said.

Although it may not be particularly severe, Nimbus may infect people more easily than earlier variants. There’s some evidence that the variant binds more tightly to human cells.

The ministry of health urged all Malaysians to stay protected by adhering to the recommended vaccination schedules outlined in the National Immunisation Programme.