In a departure from the norm the Health director-general did not conduct his daily live television press conference on the COVID-19 update today.

Instead Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, named among the world's top doctors by the China Global TV Network, took to his Facebook stating he and some of his team members were taking a break from the usual conference.

"While there is no press conference scheduled for today, a press statement will follow to ensure Malaysians have the latest information on the status of COVID-19 infections in the country," he wrote on his Facebook page, which now has nearly 600,000 followers.

According to the Health Ministry's press statement this evening, the number of recovered cases is 65 and new cases 54 with one death.

-- BERNAMA