* There have been no new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in Australia for six of the past seven days.

* Coronavirus restrictions such as the mandatory wearing of masks will be eased in Brisbane, but the reason for an outbreak that led to rules being tightened may never be known.

* Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said there were no new locally transmitted cases of COVID-19 to report on Thursday, meaning restrictions on Greater Brisbane will lift from 1am on Friday.

* Victoria will lift its cap on overseas arrivals in the coming weeks, though fewer international students and farm workers will be accommodated than either industry sought.

* Victoria recorded a 15th straight day without a new locally acquired case of COVID-19 on Thursday, while one person in hotel quarantine has tested positive in the last 24 hours. It is unclear if the case is linked to the Australian Open.

* It is also unclear whether positive test results from two Australian Open players and a support person on Wednesday have been reclassified as viral shedding.

* Premier Daniel Andrews apologised to residents living next to one of three Australian Open quarantine hotels after used PPE from overflowing biohazard bins ended up blowing into their apartment foyer.

* NSW recorded its fourth consecutive day without a new locally acquired COVID-19 case, but health authorities still want an uptick in testing numbers before social restrictions are eased.

* Tasmania has dropped coronavirus border restrictions on Greater Brisbane and much of Sydney.

* South Australia will keep its COVID-19 border restrictions with NSW in place, but has moved to ease some local measures in time for Australia Day.

* Prime Minister Scott Morrison significantly cooled on Queensland's push to use regional mining camps instead of hotels for quarantine.

* About 500 extra vaccine workers will be deployed to assist with coronavirus immunisations slated to start next month.

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SPORT

* World No.1 Novak Djokovic insists he was not being "selfish, difficult and ungrateful" in speaking out about quarantine conditions for players ahead of the Australian Open.

* The Sydney Sixers expect Sean Abbott and Moises Henriques to face the Thunder, with the pair racing to get a negative COVID-19 test result back in time.

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AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* There were nine new virus cases recorded in Australia on Thursday: five in NSW, two in SA, and one each in Queensland and Victoria. All were diagnosed in hotel quarantine.

* The national death toll is 909: Victoria 820, NSW 56, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 6, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).

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GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* Cases: at least 96,857,0000

* Deaths: at least 2,074,000

* Recovered: at least 53,367,000.

Data current as of 1730 AEDT on January 21, taking in federal and state/territory government updates, Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre figures.

Australian Associated Press