A Sydney indoor climbing gym is suspected to be the source of transmission for a cluster of Omicron cases. 

 Two new cases of the Omicron variant were detected in NSW yesterday, and testing is underway on a further 10 cases from Regents Park Christian School. 

 The new cases are classmates of the Year Nine student who tested positive on Friday morning.   

Australia COVID-19 update 4 December 2021

Australia wide — 1705 new locally acquired cases, 4 new OS acquired cases, 10 deaths.

VICTORIA
• 1,365 new from 67,545 tests, 1363 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in hotel quarantine, 9 deaths.
• 14,383 active cases, 288 in hospital, 44 active with 43 cleared in ICU, 20 ventilated.
• Of those in hospital 61% are not fully vaccinated, of those in ICU 90% are not fully vaccinated.
• Deaths included people aged in their 70s, 80s, 90s and 100s.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Whittlesea, Moreland, Moonee Valley, Casey, Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Mornington Peninsula, Melton, Bayside and Darebin.

NEW SOUTH WALES
• 325 new from 68,435 tests, 1 death.
• 2,960 active cases, 139 in hospital, 25 in ICU, 8 ventilated.
• Now a total of 13 cases of the Omicron variant in NSW.
• A fully vaccinated woman in her 50s with underlying health conditions from SW Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 100 SW Sydney, 70 Western Sydney, 47 SE Sydney, 34 Sydney, 19 Northern Sydney, 14 Western NSW, 12 Hunter New England, 9 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 5 Nepean Blue Mountains, 3 Central Coast, 3 Northern NSW, 2 Southern NSW, 1 Far West NSW, 1 Mid North Coast LHD, 1 Murrumbidgee, 4 yet to be assigned.
• Sewage virus fragments detected where there are no known cases in Dungog, Finley, Eden, Woolgoolga, Barooga, and Curlewis.

ACT
• 7 new with 1,334 negative tests, all locally acquired.
• 119 active cases, 6 in hospital,3  in ICU, 0 ventilated.
• One new case is confirmed as a close contact of the ACT’s first Omicron infection.
• List of exposure sites.

QUEENSLAND
• 7 new from 10,194 tests, 3 locally acquired, 2 interstate, 2 OS travellers in hotel quarantine.
• 30 active cases, 21 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• 1 overseas arrival had travelled from South Africa, genomic sequencing underway.
• 1 case in Capalaba is linked to the school reunion in South Australia which has become a super-spreader event. Greater Adelaide now declared a hotspot, restrictions start from tomorrow morning.
• Four cases had been infectious in the community including a Gold Coast couple who were infectious for up to 13 days in the community, the wife is a fully vaccinated aged care worker.
• A Gold Coast aged care facility is on alert after the staff member cited above tested positive. The Gold Coast Public Health Unit has sent a notification to relatives of residents at Mudgeeraba’s Carinity Cedarbrook Residential Care informing them of the development. Isolations and restrictions instituted.
• List of exposure sites.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 5 new from 10,409 tests, 3 locally acquired, 2 interstate travellers.
• 36 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• Borders to remain open but people from NSW, VIC and the ACT will be required to have a COVID test on arrival into the state and and isolate until a negative result is received. If they plan on staying in South Australia, they will need to have a further test on day six. Quarantine for international arrivals will go back to 14 days.
• List of exposure sites.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 0 new from 2,980 tests.
• 58 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• A current case, a man in his 50s, is now in intensive care in the Royal Darwin Hospital. 
• List of exposure sites.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case in hotel quarantine, 0 in hospital.

TASMANIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.

NEW ZEALAND
• 100 new from 29,975 tests, 98 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in managed isolation.
• 6,270 active cases, 73 in hospital, 7 in ICU.
• New case locations are Auckland 64, Waikato 21, Bay of Plenty 6, Northland 3, Hawke’s Bay 2, Lakes 1, Nelson Marlborough 1.
• 42 of today’s cases are epidemiologically linked with 56 under investigation.
• 21 of the cases reported yesterday were infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.

  5/12/2021

Great news indeed !!!

Australia COVID-19 update 5 December 2021

Australia wide — 1282 new locally acquired cases, 2 new OS acquired cases, 8 deaths.

VICTORIA
• 980 new from 65,449 tests, all locally acquired, 7 deaths.
• 15,433 active cases, 299 in hospital, 40 active with 43 cleared in ICU, 16 ventilated.
• Deaths included people aged in their 70s, 80s and 90s.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Casey, Whittlesea, Glen Eira, Wyndham, Greater Geelong, Moreland, Greater Dandenong, Manningham and Melton.

NEW SOUTH WALES
• 286 new from 66,671 tests, 1 death.
• 3,043 active cases, 148 in hospital, 26 in ICU, 5 ventilated.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 82 SW Sydney, 51 SE Sydney, 45 Sydney, 40 Western Sydney, 18 Northern Sydney, 9 Nepean Blue Mountains, 8 Central Coast, 7 Hunter New England, 7 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 7 Western NSW, 3 Northern NSW, 2 Mid North Coas, 2 Murrumbidgee, 1 Southern NSW, 4 yet to be assigned.
• Sewage virus fragments detected where there are no known cases in Dungog and Young.
• The total number of Omicron variant cases in NSW has grown to 15, up from 13 yesterday. The Villawood Climbing Gym cluster has grown to five. One of the new cases attends St Peter Chanel Catholic Primary School. All year 3 and 4 students and teachers have been asked to isolate. Previous cases in the gym cluster attend Regents Park Christian School.

ACT
• 6 new with 1,292 negative tests, all locally acquired.
• 110 active cases, 6 in hospital, 2 in ICU, 0 ventilated.
•  A second confirmed Omicron case is a close contact of the ACT's first Omicron case.
• List of exposure sites.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 6 new from 11,790 tests, 2 locally acquired, 2 interstate travellers, 1 under investigation, 1 OS traveller.
• 42 active cases, 1 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• Slow additions of exposure sites ... sites linked to infected former premier Jay Weatherill still being listed almost a week after visits. Details.
• List of exposure sites.

QUEENSLAND
• 6 new from 8,330 tests, all detected in quarantine including 1 OS traveller.
• 36 active cases, 25 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• No new cases have been infectious in the community and no further cases linked to the Gold Coast.
• 78.1 per cent of eligible Queenslanders are now fully vaccinated.
• List of exposure sites.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 0 new from 1,695 tests.
• 58 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• The total number of local cases from the NT outbreak remains at 60.
• List of exposure sites.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case in hotel quarantine, 0 in hospital.

TASMANIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.

AUSTRALIA
• Federal parliament has been closed and Greens leader Adam Bandt is in isolation after one of his staff members tested positive to COVID.

AUSTRALIA VACCINES
• Australia's TGA provisionally approves Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for 5-11-year-olds. Pfizer's vaccines for children are one-third the normal dose, but provide the same level of immunity.
• 88% of Australia's eligible population now fully vaccinated.

NEW ZEALAND
• 108 new from 30,436 tests, 106 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in managed isolation.
• 6,317 active cases, 77 in hospital, 7 in ICU.
• New case locations are Auckland 93, Waikato 8, Northland 3, Whanganui 1, Canterbury 1.
• 39 of today’s cases are epidemiologically linked with 67 under investigation.
• 54 of the cases reported yesterday were infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.

Australia COVID-19 update 6 December 2021

Australia wide — 1292 new locally acquired cases, 4 new OS acquired cases, 6 deaths.

VICTORIA
• 1,073 new from 56,337 tests, all locally acquired, 6 deaths.
• 16,503 active cases, 310 in hospital, 45 active with 45 cleared in ICU, 19 ventilated.
• Deaths included people aged in their 40s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Melton, Brimbank, Whittlesea, Hume, Moreland, Casey, Glen Eira, Wyndham, Greater Dandenong, and Greater Geelong.

NEW SOUTH WALES
• 208 new from 61,132 tests, 0 deaths.
• 3,036 active cases, 152 in hospital, 24 in ICU, 5 ventilated.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 53 SW Sydney, 39 Western Sydney, 36 SE Sydney, 32 Sydney, 13 Northern Sydney, 5 Hunter New England, 4 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 3 Mid North Coast, 3 Southern NSW, 4 Western NSW, 3 Central Coast, 3 Nepean Blue Mountains, 2 Murrumbidgee, 1 in a correctional setting, 7 yet to be assigned.
• A further ten cases of the Omicron strain have been detected in NSW, 9 locally and 1 overseas acquired. The nine new local cases are connected to a cluster which started at a climbing gym in Villawood, in Sydney’s south-west, and has affected two schools.
• NSW total now 25 cases of Omicron, 14 local and 11 overseas acquired.

ACT
• 6 new with 1,511 negative tests, all locally acquired.
• 98 active cases, 6 in hospital, 3 in ICU, 0 ventilated.
• Canberra is now officially 98% fully vaccinated among its 12+ population.
• List of exposure sites.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 4 new from 15,354 tests, 1 locally acquired, 2 interstate travellers, 1 OS traveller in a medi-hotel.
• 45 active cases, 1 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• The source of two mystery infections have been confirmed, one as a false positive and 1 as interstate acquired.
• SA's Police Commissioner isn't ruling out closing the state's border once again if conditions worsen.
• List of exposure sites.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 3 new from 2,432 tests, 1 locally acquired, 2 travellers in Howard Springs quarantine facility.
• 62 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• The new new local case is, a three-year-old girl in Katherine who tested positive after taking a PCR test during a visit to Katherine Hospital. The lockout in Katherine will be extended by 24 hours and is now scheduled to end at 12:00pm Wednesday.
• Genomic sequencing will be undertaken on two COVID cases detected in quarantine overnight. One is the close contact of a Melbourne traveller who had already tested positive, while the other is a woman who tested positive after landing on a flight from London.
• List of exposure sites.

QUEENSLAND
• 3 new from 10,582 tests, 2 interstate and 1 OS traveller detected in hotel quarantine.
• 39 active cases, 29 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• Queensland will open its borders to fully vaccinated travellers from interstate hotspots on 1:00am, Monday, December 13. People can arrive by road or air without quarantine but must test negative to COVID in the previous 72 hours and all arrivals, regardless of vaccination status, must get another test on day 5 after they arrive in Queensland.
• Unvaccinated travellers must arrive by air and hotel quarantine for 14 days.
• A border bubble will also be established sparing border zone residents from having to get a test to enter Queensland.
• List of exposure sites.

TASMANIA
• 0 new from 1,889 tests over 72 hours.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case in hotel quarantine, 0 in hospital.

NEW ZEALAND
• 135 new from 18,237 tests, 135 locally acquired, 0 OS travellers in managed isolation.
• 6,402 active cases, 76 in hospital, 7 in ICU.
• New case locations are Auckland 125, Waikato 8, Canterbury 2.
• 51 of today’s cases are epidemiologically linked with 84 under investigation.
• 41 of the cases reported yesterday were infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.

Australia COVID-19 update 7 December 2021

Australia wide — 1453 new Australian acquired cases, 0 new OS acquired cases, 9 deaths.

VICTORIA
• 1,185 new from 52,257 tests, all locally acquired, 7 deaths.
• 13,050 active cases, 297 in hospital, 47 active with 55 cleared in ICU, 25 ventilated.
• Deaths included people aged in their 40s, 70s, 80s and 90s.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Casey, Melton, Brimbank, Moreland, Melbourne, Whittlesea, Greater Geelong, Monash and Yarra Ranges.

NEW SOUTH WALES
• 260 new from 58,706 tests, 2 deaths.
• 3,060 active cases, 155 in hospital, 28 in ICU, 5 ventilated.
• Deaths: A fully vaccinated Western Sydney woman in her 90s died at Westmead Hospital. She acquired her infection the Blacktown Terrace Care Community aged care facility. An unvaccinated man in his 90s with underlying health conditions from SW Sydney died at Liverpool Hospital.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 56 SW Sydney, 55 Sydney, 48 Western Sydney, 33 SE Sydney, 16 Northern Sydney, 12 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 9 Murrumbidgee, 7 Hunter New England, 6 Nepean Blue Mountains, 5 Mid North Coast, 3 Southern NSW, 3 Central Coast, 1 Northern NSW, 1 Western NSW, 5 yet to be assigned.
• NSW's new cases included six new Omicron infections. Of the state's now 31 Omicron cases, 20 are linked to a cluster at Regents Park Christian School, Chanel Catholic Primary School in Regents Park and the Sydney Indoor Climbing Gym in Villawood.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 4 new from 13,663 tests, 2 locally acquired, 2 interstate acquired.
• 49 active cases, 2 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• The new cases are two men aged in their 40s, a woman in her 20s and another in her teens. Two of the state's 49 active cases are in hospital – a woman in her 50s and a man in his 60s who are both in a stable condition.
• List of exposure sites.

ACT
• 3 new with 1,149 negative tests, all locally acquired.
• 85 active cases, 5 in hospital, 3 in ICU, 1 ventilated.
• There are now five cases of the Omicron variant in the ACT, with one of the new cases forcing about 180 people linked to Lyneham Primary School into quarantine.
• List of exposure sites.

QUEENSLAND
• 1 new from 12,468 tests, locally acquired.
• 39 active cases, 33 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• The new locally acquired case was detected on the Gold Coast and is linked to a recent cluster of cases now totalling four. 
• List of exposure sites.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 0 new from 1,887 tests.
• 62 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• List of exposure sites.

TASMANIA
• 0 new from 602 tests.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case in hotel quarantine, 0 in hospital.

NEW ZEALAND
• 98 new from 21,120 tests, all locally acquired.
• 6,416 active cases, 66 in hospital, 7 in ICU.
• New case locations are Auckland 74, Waikato 10, Bay of Plenty 8, Taranaki 1, Nelson Marlborough 5.
• 50 of today’s cases are epidemiologically linked with 48 under investigation.
• 55 of the cases reported yesterday were infectious in the community.
• List of exposure sites.

Australia COVID-19 update 8 December 2021

Australia wide — 1728 new Australian acquired cases, 2 new OS acquired cases, 7 deaths.

VICTORIA
• 1,312 new from 79,490 tests, all locally acquired, 5 deaths.
• 11,331 active cases, 303 in hospital, 51 active with 46 cleared in ICU, 27 ventilated.
• Deaths included people aged in their 80s and 90s.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Hume, Brimbank, Casey, Whittlesea, Melton, Kingston, Moreland, Monash, Wyndham and Boroondara.
•  Victoria records first confirmed case of Omicron variant in a traveller in hotel quarantine. There are two other suspected cases of the variant under investigation in people who were not in hotel quarantine. The source of those infections is under investigation.

NEW SOUTH WALES
• 403 new from 92,566 tests, 1 death.
• 3,196 active cases, 151 in hospital, 25 in ICU, 7 ventilated.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 103 SW Sydney, 93 Sydney, 61 Western Sydney, 59 SE Sydney, 19 Northern Sydney, 13 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 12 Hunter New England, 9 Mid North Coast, 8 Nepean Blue Mountains, 8 Northern NSW, 6 Murrumbidgee, 5 Central Coast, 4 Western NSW, 1 Southern NSW, 2 yet to be assigned.
• Sewage virus fragments detected where there are no known cases in Lockhart near Wagga Wagga.
• Sydney Harbour party boat cruise on Friday night sees five new COVID cases recorded, with two likely to be Omicron variant and genomic sequencing underway.
• The number of new cases reported has increased in recent days. NSW has not reported more than 400 cases in a day since mid-October 2021. Recently the virus has spread among vaccinated people at a range of indoor settings, where people are socialising, including pubs, nightclubs and parties.

ACT
• 8 new with 1,675 negative tests, all locally acquired, 1 death.
• 79 active cases, 4 in hospital, 2 in ICU, 0 ventilated.
• A man in his 80s with underlying health conditions died yesterday in ICU at Canberra Hospital.
• 300 Canberrans are in quarantine due to potential exposure to the Omicron variant.
• List of exposure sites.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 3 new from 15,732 tests, 1 locally acquired, 1 interstate acquired (historical) 1 OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 46 active cases, 2 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• Two more flights from Melbourne to Adelaide have been identified as COVID exposure sites by SA Health. Qantas flight QF 691 on Sunday, 5 December rows 11-15 considered close contacts with entire flight considered a casual contact site and Qantas flight QF 677 on Monday, 6 December with rows 11-15 considered close contacts.
• List of exposure sites.

QUEENSLAND
• 2 new from 11,056 tests, 1 interstate and 1 OS traveller detected in hotel quarantine.
• 40 active cases, 35 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• Queensland has recorded its first cases of the Omicron variant, both different genetically, “first in the world” recorded cases of these variants. A Nigerian man, who tested positive while in hotel quarantine in Cairns a few days ago, has been confirmed as a positive case. He flew into Queensland on Jetstar flight JQ950 from Sydney to Cairns on Friday, December 3, and everyone on that flight has now been deemed a close contact. Another man, from South Africa, who tested positive to the virus on Saturday in Brisbane, has also been confirmed to have Omicron, but tests revealed it was slightly different genetically.
• List of exposure sites.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 2 new from 3,555 tests, both locally acquired.
• 34 active cases, 1 in hospital.
Both new cases were in quarantine while infectious, they include:
— A female in her 20s from Katherine. She is the mother of a child who is a previously reported case. Mother and child are in isolation at Royal Darwin Hospital.
—A female infant from Katherine who is a household contact of a previously reported case. She is in isolation at the Centre for National Resilience at Howard Springs.
• NT records a death at Howard Springs, not related to COVID.
• List of exposure sites.

TASMANIA
• 0 new from 820 tests.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 0 new from N/A tests.
• 1 active case in hotel quarantine, 0 in hospital.

NEW ZEALAND
• 92 new from 31,392 tests, 90 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in managed isolation.
• 6,463 active cases, 74 in hospital, 6 in ICU.
• New case locations are Auckland 71, Waikato 9, Bay of Plenty 5, Northland 3, Lakes 1, Nelson-Tasman 1.
• List of exposure sites.

WORLD
• The World Health Organization's office for Europe says children between five and 14 years old now account for the highest rates of reported COVID-19 infections in the region. Cases and deaths have more than doubled in the last two months in the 53-country region.

Australia COVID-19 update 9 December 2021

Australia wide — 1662 new Australian acquired cases, 5 new OS acquired cases, 10 deaths.

VICTORIA
• 1,232 new from 71,178 tests, 1230 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in hotel quarantine, 9 deaths.
• 11,224 active cases, 315 in hospital, 52 active with 44 cleared in ICU, 27 ventilated.
• Deaths included people aged in their 30s, 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. The death of the person aged in their 30s occurred in early November.
• The 10 LGAs with the highest number of new cases are Casey, Hume, Brimbank, Whittlesea, Melton, Mornington Peninsula, Moreland, Glen Eira, Wyndham and Monash.
• Four suspected Omicron cases detected in the community. The two suspected Omicron cases from yesterday are still under investigation. Two new cases have also returned results with “S gene dropout”, a signature of the Omicron variant. Of the four total suspected cases, one has been identified in the City of Casey, one in the City of Wyndham and two in the City of Brimbank. Full genome sequencing rapidly being undertaken to confirm.

NEW SOUTH WALES
• 420 new from 84,883 tests, 1 death.
• 3,372 active cases, 151 in hospital, 25 in ICU, 8 ventilated.
• A fully vaccinated Lake Macquarie man in his 70s with significant underlying health conditions died at Gosford Hospital.
• New cases by Local Health Districts are 91 SW Sydney, 81 SE Sydney, 72 Western Sydney, 67 Sydney, 24 Northern Sydney, 15 Nepean Blue Mountains, 13 Hunter New England, 13 Mid North Coast, 11 Illawarra Shoalhaven, 11 Northern NSW, 6 Central Coast, 6 Southern NSW, 4 Western NSW, 3 Murrumbidgee, 3 yet to be assigned.
• NSW records eight new Omicron cases, bringing state total to 42. None hospitalised. 

SOUTH AUSTRALIA
• 7 new from 12,878 tests, 2 locally acquired, 4 interstate acquired, 1 OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 51 active cases, 2 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• COVID case sends students and parents from Our Lady Queen of Peace School in Adelaide into quarantine. Details.
• List of exposure sites.

ACT
• 4 new with 1,645 negative tests, all locally acquired.
• 76 active cases, 5 in hospital, 2 in ICU, 0 ventilated.
• List of exposure sites.

NORTHERN TERRITORY
• 3 new from 2,221 tests, 1 locally acquired, 1 interstate and 1 OS traveller.
• 36 active cases, 1 in hospital.
• The first case is an unvaccinated teenager and household associate of the previous two cases from Katherine East. The second case, a fully vaccinated woman in her 80s in home quarantine, was a close contact of a previous positive case that arrived from London. The third case was a recent arrival from Sydney, a fully vaccinated man in his 30s who had travelled overseas. All are now in quarantine at Howard Springs.
• List of exposure sites.

WESTERN AUSTRALIA
• 1 new from 2,645 tests, an OS traveller in hotel quarantine.
• 2 active cases in hotel quarantine, 0 in hospital.

QUEENSLAND
• 0 new from 11,779 tests.
• 38 active cases, 35 in hospital, 0 in ICU.
• Deputy Premier Steven Miles says this will probably be one of Queensland's last 'double doughnut' days as the state opens up next Monday having reached its 16+ 80% double dose vaccination goal.
• List of exposure sites.

TASMANIA
• 0 new from 664 tests.
• 1 active case, 0 in hospital.

NEW ZEALAND
• 105 new from 34,781 tests, 103 locally acquired, 2 OS travellers in managed isolation.
• 6,558 active cases, 70 in hospital,  in ICU.
• New case locations are Auckland 88, Waikato 9, Bay of Plenty 5, Northland , Lakes 1.
• List of exposure sites.

A backpackers hostel in Sydney's eastern suburbs has been locked down amid concerns of a COVID-19 outbreak. 

 One COVID-19 case has been confirmed at Noah's Backpackers in Bondi.  

NSW Health has locked down the hostel and sent in a testing squad to check everyone staying there.

All countries lack the 'critical capacities' to effectively respond to future pandemics, the Global Health Security Index found. None of the 195 countries ranked in the top of the five tiers (colour coded above) for preparedness

The world is STILL unprepared for the next pandemic after two years of Covid, research shows  | Daily Mail Online

Just reading this morning that Victoria has 1,006 new cases of the virus, it is so sad to read this still.

Then the other news is Scotland is going to close down over Christmas and New Year due to cases of the variant there.

Scott Morrison flags MAJOR change to booster shots in fight against Omicron as Australia starts vaccinating two million children as young as five - here's what you need to know 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has flagged Covid boosters shots could be brought forward in the fight against the new Omicron strain of the disease. The news came as the PM launched the vaccine rollout for children as young as five at pharmacies and GPs across the country from January 10. Speaking on Friday morning, the PM said he would be discussing accelerating the booster shots with state and territory leaders at National Cabinet later in the day.