Australia Covid information dwell replace: tens of millions extra Australians eligible for boosters; Morrison warned about speedy check scarcity months in the past | Australia information

Amy Remeikis is Guardian Australia’s political reporter.

She is on RN proper now and that is what she needed to say in regards to the election:

“We glance again on the election cycle at this level final time, and most of the people had made up their thoughts about Invoice Shorten.

“Many had determined who he was and whether or not or not they preferred him and he was an unpopular chief. This time round with Anthony Albanese, some folks like him, some folks don’t however there’s nonetheless a giant chunk of voters who’re undecided and Labor sees that as loads simpler to beat.”

She was additionally requested which seats the election can be fought and received in:

“New South Wales and Western Sydney specifically. I believe that’s going to be crucial jurisdiction of the election, and you’ll see that from how a lot time each leaders are already spending there.”

Australian Medical Labs has shut 28 PCR testing clinics round Sydney “till additional discover” due to the backlog in exams.

The closures imply the corporate is now solely working its Bella Vista clinic for paid worldwide journey exams, the Sydney Morning Herald reviews.

The 28 websites embrace each drive-through and walk-in clinics.

The corporate mentioned:

These closures have been essential as a result of vital enhance in testing volumes throughout the State.

Labor MP Linda Burney has been on the ABC this morning calling for the federal authorities to make RATs free:

If folks want the check and they’re required to have it, then they need to have the ability to have it at an inexpensive value and they need to have the ability to have entry to it. I’ve by no means seen such a bungled coverage stuff-up in my life.

AMA vice-president Chris Moy was on RN Breakfast this morning. He mentioned the AMA had instructed the federal authorities in regards to the scarcity months in the past:

Good morning. That is Cait Kelly and I can be taking you thru in the present day’s information.

Listed here are the large tales thus far:

Thousands and thousands extra Aussies at the moment are eligible for his or her booster shot with the timeframe between second and third doses lowering to 4 months from in the present day.

About 7.5 million Australians at the moment are eligible, up from round 4.1 million on the finish of 2021.

Boosters can be introduced ahead to 4 months after the second dose, down from 5 months. From 31 January, folks can get boosters after three months.

NSW is probably going quickly to set a brand new file for Covid-19 hospitalisations because it nears the determine reached on the peak of the Delta outbreak in September.

There have been 1,204 folks within the state’s hospitals with Covid on Monday, 62 shy of the file set on 21 September when NSW was within the grip of the Delta wave.

And Victorians are being warned to count on surging instances numbers and hospitalisations. Victoria’s Covid-19 response commander, Jeroen Weimar, has warned that the variety of folks hospitalised with the virus, now at 491, is predicted to extend “fairly quickly” in coming days.

The combat about free speedy exams additionally continues, with the exams being troublesome to purchase regardless of forming the spine of Australia’s new testing regime.

Scott Morrison has thus far resisted calls to make the exams free, regardless of some states transferring to take action.

“We’re now at a stage of the pandemic the place you possibly can’t simply make every little thing free,” the prime minister mentioned, whereas the AMA has revealed it warned the federal authorities a few scarcity of RATs final September.

With that – let’s get into it.