As Australia prepares to reach a critical vaccination milestone, an explosion of COVID-19 cases is a reminder the pandemic is far from over.
More than 30,000 cases of COVID-19 were detected in NSW on Wednesday, however, the number included 10,000 cases from Sunday and Monday due to a data error.
Subscribe for FREE to the HealthTimes magazine
Meanwhile, Victoria registered its highest number of daily infections in more than a month, after the state had 9426 cases.
There were also 6136 in Queensland, 6062 in WA, 3122 in SA, 1859 in Tasmania, 1226 in the ACT and 251 in the Northern Territory.
A further 22 deaths were recorded from the virus in the past reporting period, with eight fatalities in both Queensland and Victoria, while five were in NSW and one in Tasmania.
The number of Australians who have had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine is set to pass 20 million in just days.
The latest figures have shown 19.91 million people have had their first dose, or more than 95 per cent of the population over the age of 16.
Double-dose numbers were just behind at 19.5 million people, with 12.3 million boosters being administered, just under two-thirds of the eligible population.
The country's leading vaccine advisory body is considering whether to recommend COVID boosters for children aged 12 to 15.
The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation met on Wednesday to discuss a possible booster program for children, as well as how the national program will move forward.
Currently, boosters are only available for those 16 and older.
Last week, Health Minister Greg Hunt indicated ATAGI could soon hand down advice stating a fourth vaccine dose may be needed for older Australians going forward.
Meanwhile, Australians will soon be able to travel to New Zealand without needing to quarantine on arrival.
Fully vaccinated Australians will be able to fly in or out of New Zealand from April 13.
Tourism Minister Dan Tehan welcomed the decision from across the Tasman, saying it was crucial for the travel industry in both countries.
"The return of quarantine-free travel to New Zealand for Australians is an important step towards the full reopening of New Zealand's borders," Mr Tehan said.
"The reopening of New Zealand will make a holiday in Australia more attractive to tourists all over the world, who can include New Zealand in their travel plans as well."
Comments