After a sharp rise in COVID case numbers across the country, measures are being introduced in a bid to keep the public safe. To keep you up-to-date on everything that's happening, here's the COVID news you need to know today.
Aussie children's vaccination rollout is underway.
Monday, January 10 marks the first day Australian children aged five to 11 can access COVID-19 vaccines.
The head of the COVID-19 vaccine task force, Lieutenant General John Frewen, aimed to reassure parents there were more than enough vaccine doses to inoculate all children.
It comes as news circulates that parents and guardians are finding it difficult to secure appointments for their kids.
Watch: Children aged 5-11 eligible for COVID jab. Post continues below.
"There is a lot of people getting vaccines very quickly right across the country so I encourage a little bit of patience and a little bit of persistence and I have no doubt they will get access to vaccines in the week ahead," the Lieutenant General said on Monday.
Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Victorian chair Anita Munoz said supply was coming in "sporadically" with some GPs given 100 doses a week and others 100 per fortnight.
"That is terribly inadequate numbers for general practices to vaccinate kids," she told AAP. "What we really wanted to avoid was repeating any of the mistakes we needed to learn from last year. I am disappointed that these kinds of issues are being repeated."
"Delaying the return of the school year makes sense. Like everyone else, we are watching daily case numbers grow. We can't have Omicron explode in our schools. We have the time to make smart decisions right now," said a Queensland Teachers' Union representative.
Vulnerable children and those of essential workers in Queensland will still be able to return to school from January 24.
New restrictions in Victoria.
Victoria will mandate COVID-19 vaccine boosters for essential workers, indoor dancefloors will close and food supply worker isolation rules are easing, under new state pandemic orders. Visitor restrictions will also be applied to hospitals and in aged care settings.
Health Minister Martin Foley says the new orders, which kick in at 11:59pm on Wednesday, are needed due to rising hospitalisations.
Close contact isolation requirements will no longer apply to food supply workers, including those in retail, manufacturing and distribution.
These workers must be asymptomatic, return a negative rapid antigen test and take daily RATs for five days to return to work.
Feature Image: Getty.
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