Australians will be eligible for a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine earlier after the nation’s immunisation body recommended a shorter time frame. Health Minister Greg Hunt announced on Friday that from Jan. 4, booster shots will be brought forward to four months after the second dose, from five months currently. Then from Jan. 31, people who have had their two doses can get their booster after three months. States and territories are slowly reintroducing restrictions and updating how they trace and isolate positive cases as infections soar across the country. Compulsory mask-wearing is now in place across almost every state and territory after NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet backflipped on his anti-mandate position on Thursday. NSW will also reintroduce QR codes in all settings from Dec. 27, when hospitality venues will return to the one person per two-square metre rule. It comes after the state hit a new record of …