Australia
Australia approves AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine for use
Australia’s regulator on Tuesday approved the AstraZeneca vaccine as its second for use against COVID-19.Pfizer’s product will be available in Australia next week. It will be given in two doses three weeks apart, while AstraZeneca’s will be administered in two doses 12 weeks apar
Melbourne enters new coronavirus lockdown
SYDNEY: Australia’s second-most populous city will enter a five-day snap coronavirus lockdown, authorities said on Friday, barring spectators for much of the Australian Open tennis tournament.A fresh COVID-19 cluster linked to a quarantine hotel in Melbourne, the capital of Victoria state, r
71 homes destroyed as Australia bushfire rages near locked-down Perth
At least 71 homes have been destroyed in a bushfire raging out of control near Australia’s fourth-biggest city Perth, authorities said Wednesday, as they told residents to ignore a coronavirus lockdown and leave threatened areas.The blaze has torn through swathes of land in the Perth Hills a
Australian scientists raise doubts over AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine efficacy
SYDNEY: Australian scientists have raised questions over the efficacy of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine in establishing herd immunity, calling for a pause on its widespread rollout as the country recorded one new coronavirus case on Wednesday.The opposition to the vaccine casts a cloud over Aust
Sydney isolated from rest of Australia as COVID outbreak grows
Sydney was isolated from the rest of Australia on Sunday after all of the country’s states and territories imposed travel restrictions on its residents as a coronavirus cluster in the city grew to around 70. The Australian Capital Territory (ACT) sent a stern ‘do not come to us’
Melbourne welcomes first international flight in 5 months as coronavirus curbs ease
Australia’s second-largest city welcomed its first international passenger flight in five months on Monday, an arrival that will test the state of Victoria’s revamped hotel quarantine system.Australia has since March closed its borders to non-citizens, but airports serving Melbourne, V
Australia defence chief vows changes after Afghanistan report
Australia’s top military official said on Sunday the country’s defence force must ‘own’ a recent report on soldiers committing crimes in Afghanistan and pledged changes to ensure that atrocities do not happen again. The report, published on Thursday after an inquiry into t
Melbourne lockdown lifted after zero new coronavirus cases recorded
Australia’s second-biggest city will exit its coronavirus lockdown after nearly four months under onerous restrictions, authorities announced Monday, with no new daily cases or deaths recorded.Stay-at-home orders for Melbourne’s five million residents will be lifted from midnight
Melbourne holds off on easing amid new coronavirus outbreak
A COVID-19 outbreak in the north of Melbourne has led health authorities in Australia’s Victoria state to hold off on any further easing of restrictions in the beleaguered city.Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews withheld any announcement on an easing on Sunday as the state awaits results
Melbourne eases lockdown as coronavirus cases decline
Australia’s second-largest city, Melbourne, has loosened lockdown restrictions as new and active COVID-19 continue to decline.From midnight Sunday, Melbourne residents will no longer face limits on the time they can spend away from their homes for education or recreation. Previous restrictio
Melbourne closer to easing coronavirus restrictions
Australia’s Victoria state has reported just one new case of COVID-19 and no deaths as the city of Melbourne moves closer toward the easing of some lifestyle restrictions.The state’s coronavirus death toll remains at 816 and the Australian total is 904.Melbourne residents are exp
Australia’s Victoria state warns public not complying with pandemic rules
The premier of Australia’s Victoria state is stepping up his fight with members of the public who don’t comply with pandemic regulations, saying close contacts of those infected who refuse a test will have to spend 21 days in quarantine.The state government has announced mandatory quar
Australia reports 13 new COVID-19 cases, 4 deaths
Australia reported 13 new cases and four more deaths from the novel coronavirus Wednesday in Victoria state. The number of infections in the country climbed to 27,076, Victoria’s Premier Daniel Andrews said at a news conference in Melbourne. The number of fatalities in Victoria reached 798
Australia attempts to rescue hundreds of stranded pilot whales
Rescuers were trying to refloat hundreds of whales stranded on a sandbar off the remote west coast of the Australian island of Tasmania on Tuesday, hoping to end one of the country’s worst beaching events. Government scientists estimated about 90 of around 270 pilot whales trapped in shallo
Australia's COVID-19 Epicenter Extends Hard Lockdown Till Late September
Australia's coronavirus hot spot state of Victoria on Sunday extended a hard lockdown in its capital Melbourne until Sept. 28, as the infection rate has declined more slowly than hoped. "We cannot open up at this time. If we were to we would lose control very quickly," State Premier Daniel Andrews
Three dead as storms lash Australia’s southeast
A fierce storm in Australia’s southeast killed three people, including a four-year-old boy and left emergency crews working to restore power and drinking water to thousands of homes Friday.High winds sent trees crashing into homes and crushing cars near Melbourne, state premier Daniel Andrew
Australia rules out mandatory immunisations
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has back-tracked after suggesting vaccinations against the coronavirus could become mandatory. Announcing a deal that could provide free doses to Australia's entire population, Mr Morrison had said there should only be medical exemptions. But after concer
Victoria Covid-19: Almost all cases linked to quarantine hotels
Almost all current cases of Covid-19 in Victoria, Australia, can be linked to returned travellers quarantined in the state, an inquiry has heard. The inquiry also heard guards at quarantine hotels were given "inappropriate" training advice. Australian media report that guards were told masks and
