KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): Twenty-eight cases of new variants of Covid-19 virus, with 25 cases being Variants of Concern (VOC) and three cases being Variants of Interest (VOI), were reported from June 23 to 30.

       Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a statement, said of the 28 new variant cases, 18 cases were Delta variant (B.1.617.2), five Beta variants (B.1.351), three Kappa variants (B.1.617.1) and two Alpha variants (B.1.1.7).

       During the period, he said that two cases of Alpha variant were detected in Sabah, two cases of Beta variant in Pahang, with one case each in Melaka, Terengganu and Selangor.

       Two cases each of Delta variant were detected in Pahang, Sabah, Melaka and Kedah, four cases in Kuala Lumpur, while three each in Labuan and Negeri Sembilan.

       Three cases of Kappa variant were recorded in Johor, he added.

       Dr Noor Hisham said that the latest developments bring the cumulative cases of the virus which were categorised as VOC and VOI to 217 cases.

       "From the total number detected, 198 cases were VOC, while 19 cases were VOI,” he added. - Bernama