Unvaccinated travellers will still need to apply for an exemption to enter or leave Australia as the Australian government declares an extension of its COVID-19 emergency health powers until April 17. Health Minister Greg Hunt confirmed in a statement that a further extension of the emergency period, which has been in place for two years…

The ATAGI has updated its guidelines around COVID-19 vaccinations saying that Australians will need three COVID-19 vaccine doses to be considered fully vaccinated on Feb. 10. For Australians to be “up-to-date” on their COVID-19 vaccinations, it is now recommended that they have a booster shot within three months to 6 months from the primary course for…

Australia will begin rolling out the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine at select general practices, community pharmacies, and state clinics across the country for Australians aged 18 and over from Feb. 14, one week earlier than planned. It is the first protein-based vaccine approved for Australians, allowing people who have allergies to certain ingredients used in approved…

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) have approved booster shots for teens aged 16 and above, effective Feb. 3. Teenagers will be receiving the same dosage as adults and the recommended booster interval period is also three months after the primary doses. Health Minister Greg Hunt welcomed the news saying it was good…

Australia’s medicines regulator, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, has granted provisional approval for Pfizer’s comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine to be used as a booster shot for teens aged 16 and 17. The dosage for this age group will be the same as for adults and the booster dose can be administered within three to four months after…

Australia is set to roll out its first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine from Feb. 21, with federal Health Minister Greg Hunt saying that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) had given the government the go-ahead for the country’s fourth COVID-19 vaccine. Hunt said that Australia’s first shipment of the vaccine would undergo a detailed batch testing…

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has described allegations that the Commonwealth was requisitioning rapid antigen tests (RATs) as “categorically untrue,” saying the government “would never do that” and that the tests are being prioritised for vulnerable Australians. The prime minister’s comments come after suppliers Werko, Star Hygiene, and HiCraft accused the federal government of diverting…

The national drug regulator has given the green light to the Novavax vaccine, along with two oral treatments for patients currently suffering from COVID-19. The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on Thursday approved the Novavax vaccine, also called Nuvaxovid, for adults aged 18 years and over, making it the first protein-based COVID-19 vaccine in the country’s…

Pharmacists are reporting that while more rapid antigen tests (RATs) will be coming next week, the “real jump” in supply is not expected until February after COVID-19 hospitalisations are estimated to have already reached their highest level. Australia’s biggest pharmacy distributor, Sigma Healthcare Sigma told The Epoch Times on Jan. 17 it was currently transporting rapid…

Australian Chief Medical Officer (CHO) said that although daily COVID-19 Omicron case numbers are decreasing, the worse has yet to come. CHO Paul Kelly stated that it would be several weeks before deaths and hospitalisations from the Omicron variant reach their peak, despite plateauing COVID-19 cases. “We expect death and hospitalisations to continue to rise…