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| Australia Covid news live update: airport chaos with Christmas flights cancelled; Queensland warns of ‘strains on hospital system’ | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| Follow all the day’s news | Follow all the day’s news |
| With that, I will pass the blog on to the highly capable Cait Kelly who will keep you entertained and informed this afternoon. A very Merry Christmas Eve for those who celebrate - I’m off to play Paul Kelly’s album on repeat. | |
| This hasn’t been independently verified by Guardian Australia but we know a string of Virgin and Jetstar flights have already been cancelled between Sydney and Melbourne due to Covid isolation requirements. | |
| So case numbers are in for NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, Queensland, The ACT and South Australia. We are still waiting on the Northern Territory and Western Australia (WA detected a case in a Queensland backpacker yesterday). | |
| Marshall welcomes the reduction of the interval between second vaccination and the booster shot. | |
| From 26 December, mass vaccination clinics in South Australia will be available to ensure all those who are eligible can receive a booster shot until the rollout expands on 4 January. | |
| In addition, people who have had two shots of AstraZeneca and are working in “high risk” settings on the frontline who would normally be eligible on 4 January can receive a booster shot. | |
| Marshall: | |
| There are eight people being treated in hospital in SA including one person – a man in his 30s – in intensive care. | |
| Marshall says of 484 new cases reported on Wednesday, 50% of new infections weren’t fully vaccinated. Some 70% of cases in the state are the Omicron variant, of the sample that have been tested. | |
| SA has reported 688 new Covid cases overnight from just over 20,000 tests. | |
| Marshall: | |
| SA premier Steven Marshall is up. The state is looking at the situation with Omicron “very, very carefully” and is concerned at the “very significant increase” in transmissability. | |
| “We do have to take action.” | |
| Albanese says the “only explanation” for reducing the booster interval on 4 January and again on 31 January is because of capacity constraints. | Albanese says the “only explanation” for reducing the booster interval on 4 January and again on 31 January is because of capacity constraints. |
| Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is up. He is less than amused at Hunt’s booster announcement today. | Opposition leader Anthony Albanese is up. He is less than amused at Hunt’s booster announcement today. |
| South Australia’s premier Steven Marshall will give a Covid update soon alongside the chief public health officer and SA police commissioner. | South Australia’s premier Steven Marshall will give a Covid update soon alongside the chief public health officer and SA police commissioner. |