Australia shortens booster wait as Omicron explosion turns holidays into chaos

Author of the article: SYDNEY — Australia on Friday narrowed the wait time for people to receive COVID-19 booster shots as another record jump in daily infections resulted in canceled flights and sent Christmas travel plans into disarray. From Jan. 4, the country would offer booster shots to every person aged over 18 who had…
Australia shortens booster wait as Omicron explosion turns holidays into chaos

Author of the article:

SYDNEY — Australia on Friday narrowed the wait time for people to receive COVID-19 booster shots as another record jump in daily infections resulted in canceled flights and sent Christmas travel plans into disarray.

From Jan. 4, the country would offer booster shots to every person aged over 18 who had their second shot four months earlier and the interval would be again reduced to three months by the end of the month, said federal Health Minister Greg Hunt.

“These dates have been set out of an abundance of caution to give Australians early continued protection,” Hunt told reporters in Canberra.

Most states had been pressing the federal government to make more people eligible for boosters to stem the tide of Omicron cases, which reached 9,100 on Friday, up from the previous day’s record of 8,200. While most new cases were previously in New South Wales and Victoria states, neighboring Queensland and South Australia clocked sharp increases.

Media reported thousands of people planning to travel interstate for Christmas the following day had their plans thrown into chaos as airlines canceled or postponed flights due to frontline staff being forced to isolate due to possible exposures to the virus.

Sydney Airport, the country’s busiest, canceled 80 of its 500 domestic flights on Friday, a spokesperson told Reuters, without giving a reason.

Australia has been looking to ramp up the rollout of boosters after becoming one of the world’s most-vaccinated countries against COVID-19, with more than 90% of people over the age of 16 having received two doses.

A growing number of countries are reducing the wait time https://www.reuters.com/business/healthcare-pharmaceuticals/omicron-threatens-global-surge-some-countries-shorten-covid-19-booster-timelines-2021-12-20 for boosters from six months after the emergence of the Omicron variant. This month, South Korea, Britain and Thailand cut that interval to three months.

Despite record cases, the Australians hope the hospitals will not come under extreme pressure from the new strain, which they say appears to be less severe than other variants.

The number of people admitted in hospitals is rising steadily, but remains far lower than during the Delta outbreaks. Just over 4% of patients in hospitals have been infected with Omicron as of Dec. 20, with only one in intensive care.

The World Health Organization earlier this month warned wealthy countries against hoarding COVID-19 vaccines for booster shots as they try to fight off the new Omicron variant, saying it threatened supplies for poorer countries where inoculation rates are still low. (Reporting by Renju Jose and Byron Kaye in Sydney; Editing by Chris Reese and Aurora Ellis)

Financial Post Top Stories

Sign up to receive the daily top stories from the Financial Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.

By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300

Read More

Total
0
Shares
Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Related Posts
All Rossiya Airlines’ jets have been transferred to a Russia registry – tass
Read More

All Rossiya Airlines’ jets have been transferred to a Russia registry – tass

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Author of the article: Article content All 125 passenger jets operated by Russia’s Rossiya Airlines, a unit of state carrier Aeroflot , have been transferred to a domestic registry, Tass news agency said on Tuesday. Earlier this month Moscow proposed allowing carriers to register…
Polls open in Italy, right-wing alliance seen winning
Read More

Polls open in Italy, right-wing alliance seen winning

Author of the article: Reuters Crispian Balmer and Keith Weir ROME — Polls opened in Italy on Sunday in an election that is forecast to return the country’s most right-wing government since World War Two and also herald its first woman prime minister. Voting began at 7 a.m. (0500 GMT) and will continue until 11…
Maxar Publishes 2022 ESG Report
Read More

Maxar Publishes 2022 ESG Report

Author of the article: Published Apr 18, 2023  •  3 minute read WESTMINSTER, Colo. — Maxar Technologies (NYSE:MAXR) (TSX:MAXR), provider of comprehensive space solutions and secure, precise, geospatial intelligence, today announced the release of its 2022 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Report. The Maxar ESG Report details the company’s progress and impact across key ESG…
Carrefour Brasil’s shareholders approve Grupo BIG acquisition
Read More

Carrefour Brasil’s shareholders approve Grupo BIG acquisition

This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Author of the article: Article content SAO PAULO — Shareholders of Carrefour Brasil approved on Thursday the acquisition of Grupo BIG Brasil SA, according to a securities filing. The local unit of the French retail giant announced on March 2021 the acquisition of Grupo…