Australia

Australia’s Victoria and Queensland states reported record levels of new daily coronavirus infections on Tuesday as pressure on testing centers prompted calls for wider use of rapid antigen tests.

Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital has revealed its pathology service incorrectly messaged 400 people to tell them they had tested negative to COVID-19 – when they had in fact tested positive.

A Sydney man who police allege was preparing to commit a terrorist act will front court on Christmas Day.

A high-profile federal police organised crime operation has netted 340 scalps this year.

A sixth child has died from injuries suffered in a bouncy castle accident in Australia last week, police say.

Four children have died and five others are injured after falling from a bouncy castle that was blown into the air in Australia, police say.

Australia’s largest state, New South Wales (NSW), has announced its highest number of new Covid-19 cases in three months, with local officials attributing the rise to an outbreak of the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

The Australian state of Queensland opened its borders to all vaccinated domestic travelers on Monday for the first time in nearly five months.

Australia’s Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said Thursday he’d tested positive for the coronavirus while traveling in Washington D.C.

Australia has recorded a new version of the Omicron variant that has a different genetic structure.

NSW Health has confirmed two returned travellers have tested positive for the new Omicron COVID-19 variant in Sydney, making them the first known cases of the strain in Australia.

Australia will shut its borders to nine southern African countries and suspend all flights from those countries amid growing concerns about the new Omicron variant of COVID-19.