On Thursday, Australia reported at least 60 COVID-19 deaths, including 22 in New South Wales (NSW), 17 in Queensland and 12 in Victoria.
Health Minister Mark Butler said the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) has allowed a fourth vaccine dose for people aged 50 and over. Residents aged 30 to 49 can also get their second booster or fourth dose if they want to.
The additional 7.4 million people can get their fourth jab from 11 July. ATAGI recommended that the vaccine interval be reduced from four to three months to provide earlier additional protection.
As at 7 July 2022, 60 per cent of people aged 65 years and over have had their fourth dose.
Earlier the fourth dose was only available to people in high-risk groups, including people aged 65 and above, residents of aged care or disability care facilities, people with severe immunocompromise, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 50 or above.
People aged 16-64 with a medical condition and people with a disability were also eligible for the winter dose.
Check the latest COVID-19 trends for new cases, hospitalisations and deaths in Australia .
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has allowed Pfizer to submit its applications for two vaccines that specifically target Omicron. The TGA said it will undertake a rigorous assessment of the safety, efficacy and quality of these vaccines with the highest priority.
A new study from the Australian National University shows young Australians have suffered the greatest drop in life satisfaction during the first two years of the pandemic.
Professor Nicholas Biddle said young Australians are still at the highest risk of suffering the worst mental and well-being effects of COVID-19.
NSW Health, in its latest weekly report, noted that BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages of the Omicron variant are driving a new wave in the state. The proportion of specimens likely to be either BA.4 or BA.5 sub-lineage has jumped from 35 per cent to 70 per cent.
In its latest weekly report, the World Health Organization reported that the number of new infections rose for the fourth consecutive week.
France, Germany, Italy, the US and Brazil reported the highest numbers of new weekly global infections.
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