- Australia’s COVID vaccine rollout will begin in late February or early March, as opposed to mid-to-late February as earlier announced.
Once Pfizer sets a date for the distribution, high-priority Australians will be able to start receiving their first of two shots.
The goal remains to complete the five-phase rollout plan by October.
When the vaccine is rolled out, the initial aim will be to inoculate 80,000 Australians each week.
That number will ramp up as more supply is available, as well as the approval of other vaccines.
Australia has secured 10 million doses of the Pfizer vaccine and more than 53 million doses of the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.
- Australia's acting chief medical officer has warned coronavirus public health measures will need to remain despite vaccines being rolled out.
Michael Kidd is tempering expectations that jabs will lead to life returning to pre-pandemic settings after the Pfizer vaccine was approved for use in Australia.
The two major unknowns are whether coronavirus vaccines prevent transmission of the virus and if booster shots will be needed each year, similar to the flu.
- New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she respects Australia's decision to impose a 72-hour pause on the quarantine-free travel arrangement with New Zealanders.
Fourteen close contacts of the new case have tested negative for the virus. An Auckland resident Charlotte Mimilo told TVNZ, she is disappointed that her flight from Auckland to see family in the Gold Coast was cancelled.
- Vaccine manufacturer Moderna has started work on a booster for its vaccine to improve protection against the new variant of coronavirus first detected in South Africa.
The US biotech company says it started the work "out of an abundance of caution", after research suggested the vaccine may be less effective against virus variants.
- Victoria has reached 20 days with no new local coronavirus cases.
There is one new case in hotel quarantine, but there is no confirmation of whether this is connected to the Australian Open.
The state's active cases remain at 31, while there were 11,656 test results in the 24 hours to midnight on Monday.
