Pfizer approved for all Australians aged 12 and over.

The Pfizer vaccine has been approved by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation for all Australians 12 years and over.

"Vaccination against COVID-19 is recommended for all individuals from 12 years of age, extending the current recommendation for those aged 16 years and over," ATAGI said in a statement.

#BREAKING ATAGI has recommended all Australian children aged 12 to 15 receive the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine pic.twitter.com/uMovGLVwOU

— Clare Armstrong (@ByClare)

Some children in that age bracket with underlying health conditions were already eligible for the vaccine, but the latest advice expanded the rollout to include the entire cohort.

While Pfizer supplies remain limited, ATAGI recommends the timing of including adolescents needs to be balanced against access to vaccines for priority groups.

Bookings to vaccinate children aged 12-15 will open September 13.

Meanwhile, NSW has made a decision on a return to face-to-face learning. Teachers and students will start a staggered return from October.

BREAKING | Teachers and kids will get back in the classroom from October. The return will be staggered across year levels, and hinges on mandatory vaccinations for school staff. @9NewsSyd #COVID19nsw

— Airlie Walsh (@AirlieWalsh)

Bloodbath at Kabul airport kills more than 70 people.

Islamic State have claimed responsibility for twin attacks at Kabul airport that have killed more than 70 people and injured twice as many.

Suicide bombers struck the crowded gates of the airport with at least two explosions, causing a bloodbath among civilians and US troops and effectively shutting down the Western airlift of Afghans desperate to flee.

Afghan officials say at least 60 of their civilians were killed and 143 injured in the attacks that took place late on Thursday afternoon.

Terrorists detonated two bombs amid the crowds outside Kabul’s airport on the afternoon of August 26th, casting America’s effort to evacuate its citizens and allies from Afghanistan into even greater chaos https://t.co/vkYNtQbnPe

— The Economist (@EconUS)

At last count, 12 US service members are thought to have been killed in the blasts - 11 Marines and one Navy medic, according to two US officials.

Video images uploaded by Afghan journalists showed dozens of bodies of people killed in packed crowds outside the airport.

A watery ditch by the airport fence was filled with blood-soaked corpses, some being fished out and laid in heaps on the canal side while wailing civilians searched for loved ones.

Several Western countries said the airlift of civilians was now effectively over, with the United States having sealed the gates of the airport leaving no way out for tens of thousands of Afghans who worked for the West through two decades of war.

ISIS have released a picture of one of the suicide bombers, identified as Abdul Rehman Al-Loghri.

Hearing Aussie embassy guards who were at Kabul Airport were not near the ISIS bomb attacks - they are all ok

— Rory Callinan (@rory_callinan)

Leaders primed for reopening plan showdown.

Australia's leaders will thrash out sticking points with a national reopening plan after a week of federal-state tensions over vaccine coverage and surging infections.

Scott Morrison will on Friday chair a national cabinet meeting with premiers and chief ministers with divisions emerging over the path out of the pandemic.

The prime minister has become increasingly adamant vaccine coverage targets of 70 per cent and 80 per cent must trigger new phases of restrictions regardless of case numbers.

Scott Morrison warns leaders not to break Covid reopening ‘deal’ ahead of national cabinet meeting https://t.co/75IekwQuMK

— Guardian Australia (@GuardianAus)

The inclusion of children in the thresholds has opened up a fresh front in the battle between leaders.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr is already including everyone over 12 in vaccination targets.

WA Premier Mark McGowan raised the issue at last week's national cabinet meeting and expects it to come up again.

"The prime minister was not supportive of that but I think it's something that requires some serious further discussion," he said.

"There's a headlong rush in Sydney to just open everything up and let it rip. That is not my view."

Mr Morrison said the Doherty Institute, which completed the modelling underpinning the reopening plan, had made it clear it was not necessary to include 12- to 15-year-olds in overall targets.

"But it does not mean that they shouldn't be vaccinated. Of course they should be vaccinated," he told parliament.

First freedom step as NSW cases pass 1000.

NSW has crossed the 1000-case mark for daily COVID-19 infections on the same day the government announced its "treat" for the fully vaccinated.

From September 13, up to five fully vaccinated adults can gather outdoors, but only those outside of western Sydney's local government areas of concern. Children - not yet vaccinated - can be included in these groups of five.

In the 12 council areas of concern, households with all adults vaccinated can gather outdoors for recreation, such as picnics - but not with other households.

People across NSW who have received both doses of a COVID-19 vaccine will be allowed more freedoms next month after NSW hit the target of six million jabs. pic.twitter.com/SJNmXQxh8M

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth)

It comes as NSW reports a record 1029 new local COVID-19 cases - 844 for which the isolation status remains unknown - and four deaths.

Three of the deaths reported on Thursday were unvaccinated - a man in his 30s, a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s.

NSW Health later reported the death of another man in his 60s, to be included in Friday's numbers, who caught the virus earlier this month while an inpatient at Nepean Hospital.

A two-week extension of the lockdown in regional NSW was also announced, given the number of cases in Dubbo and western NSW.

If some lockdowns lift in regional NSW, rural doctors are calling for a new strategy of 'lock-outs'. They say small, vulnerable communities need to reject visitors, as there's too much at risk. pic.twitter.com/0QZO5DP9fs

— PRIME7 News Tamworth (@PRIME7Tamworth)

There are almost 700 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals, with 116 in intensive care beds and 43 ventilated. At least two western Sydney hospitals – Westmead with 121 virus patients and Blacktown with 15 - have called "code yellows" as their caseload climbs.

More than 1500 COVID-19 patients are also being cared for in the community by the Western Sydney Local Health District.

But Health Minister Brad Hazzard has moved to reassure the public the state's healthcare system will cope, on Thursday introducing a new measure hoped to help it do so.

The state will become the first to require health staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19.

Health workers must have their first dose of vaccine by September 30 and be fully vaccinated by November 30, or at least have their second appointment booked to continue working.

Relief arrives for COVID-battered Vic town.

Emergency relief has arrived in the COVID-battered Victorian town of Shepparton, as it struggles with almost a third of its population in isolation.

Eighteen of the state's 80 new infections on Thursday are linked to the outbreak in the town, about 180 kilometres north of Melbourne. None were isolating throughout their infectious period.

It brings the total number of cases in Shepparton to 67, though Goulburn Valley Health chief executive Matt Sharp confirmed at least another five or six cases had emerged by Thursday afternoon.

Up to 20,000 residents in the region, which has a population of 65,000, are believed to be self-isolating.

Food distributors, supermarkets and pharmacies are among businesses forced to reduce operating hours due to staff shortages.

Shepparton Villages chief executive Veronica Jamison has confirmed 105 aged care facility staff are currently in isolation. #SheppartonCOVID19 https://t.co/2y3xUIKw6p

— Shepparton News (@sheppartonnews)

Earlier on Thursday, Premier Daniel Andrews announced the state's deputy emergency management commissioner Deb Abbott, as well as other senior departmental officials, had been sent to Shepparton to co-ordinate relief.

"It is no different to a bushfire or flood. The emergency management architecture will be in place but it will be in the main very, very simple things - taking food to people's doorstep, getting scripts filled," Mr Andrews told reporters.

"The focus is on getting everybody in Shepparton things they need when they need them."

There are 600 active COVID-19 cases in Victoria, including 36 people in hospital, with 11 in intensive care and eight on ventilators.

Meanwhile, about 200,000 Victorians booked in to receive a COVID-19 vaccine on Wednesday, after eligibility opened up to those aged between 16 and 39.

TOP NOTCH! A daily record 335,420 vaccine doses have been reported across the nation today. By state: ACT: 6,551 NSW: 142,977 (daily record!) NT: 2,828 QLD: 52,941 (daily record!) SA: 18,364 (daily record!) TAS: 5,493 VIC: 79,319 WA: 26,947 pic.twitter.com/Xe1ClEu1ip

— casey briggs (@CaseyBriggs)

On a typical day some 30,000 vaccine bookings are made.

ACT to unveil tweaked COVID restrictions.

The ACT is set to reveal tweaks to Canberra's coronavirus restrictions, with Chief Minister Andrew Barr warning the coming months will be difficult.

His cabinet has been briefed on changes to restrictions ahead of the end of lockdown scheduled for September 2.

With the changes dependent on next week's case numbers, Mr Barr has sought to temper community expectations.

"(It) will not be a significant easing of restrictions; it will be a gentle step forward and this will remain the case through spring," he told reporters.

#BREAKING: The ACT has recorded 14 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases — all but one was in quarantine for their entire infectious periods https://t.co/4DwDPF3QdX

— ABC Canberra (@abccanberra)

"We're not going to be in a position, given our vaccination rates and all that is transpiring around us, to go back to being where we were prior to this outbreak."

Slightly more than 37 per cent of ACT residents aged 12 and older are double-dosed as the territory prepares for the widespread vaccination of under-16s.

Canberra recorded 14 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday as its outbreak, stemming from Sydney, grew to 190. Nine people were in hospital including an unvaccinated woman in her 40s in intensive care.

Australia hits gold pause after big start.

20-year-old Queenslander Katja Dedekind has won bronze in the S13 100m backstroke, one of four medals won by Australia on day two of the Tokyo Games.

While Australia topped the medal tally after day one, it hit a gold pause on Thursday with a silver and three bronze.

It's a PB for Katja Dedekind and ANOTHER BRONZE for Australia 🥉 🇦🇺 #Tokyo2020 pic.twitter.com/TlCh8i1Wcq

— 7Sport (@7Sport)

The other Australian medal in the pool on Thursday went to Kiera Stephens, who won bronze in the SB9 100m breaststroke.

Also on Thursday, track cyclist Darren Hicks won silver in the C2 individual pursuit after fastest qualifier Ewoud Vromont from Belgium was disqualified.

Hicks was third-fastest in qualifying and originally was riding for the bronze medal, but was elevated to the gold ride-off against French rider Alexandre Leaute.

Australian David Nicholas also had a convincing win in the bronze medal ride-off for the C3 individual pursuit.