A Victorian push to redefine full-vaccination to include COVID-19 boosters has failed for now.
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Calls from Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews to expedite the move fell on deaf ears at national cabinet on Thursday, with the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation yet to finalise their advice.
Speaking hours before the meeting, Mr Andrews claimed "everyone can see" the shift was inevitable, as mounting evidence suggested a third dose was required to ward-off the Omicron variant.
"This is not a two-dose thing, of two doses and a bonus ... It's only with those three doses that you can hope to be properly protected against serious illness," he said.
But the federal government has insisted it would not pre-empt ATAGI's advice, with a decision from the regulator expected in the coming weeks.
Israel in August became the first country to define fully-vaccinated as three doses, and was currently offering a fourth dose to citizens in their 60s and other at-risk groups.
More than 43 per cent of Canberrans aged 18 or over have received a third dose, well above the national figure of 27.4 per cent.
A third of eligible Victorians had also received a booster, which Mr Andrews suggested would be required to enter a range of public venues "very soon". He argued boosters could prove "critically important" as other COVID-19 variants reached Australian shores.
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NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard on Thursday conceded booster uptake was "not what [it] needs to be", revealing none of the COVID-19 patients in Sydney's Royal North Shore Hospital had received a third dose.
Mr Hazzard said it was "ridiculous" that health care workers were being sent to vaccine hubs, but administering boosters to a "handful" of patients.
"Those health staff could have been looking after patients elsewhere. So don't waste your time," he said.
"[The booster] works to keep you safe ... and, of course, it works to take the pressure off our staff."
But the states and territories reported pressure on the nation's hospital system was easing, after a month-long surge sparked by the arrival of Omicron.
And with students set to return to school from next week, authorities were braced for increased case numbers.
The federal government on Thursday moved to provide unlimited additional allowable absences from childcare during the peak of the Omicron wave. Children at high-risk will also have their gap fee waived if they were unable to attend.
In a bid to curb skill shortages, national cabinet also agreed to cut the hours required to obtain a trucking licence and recognise licences from New Zealand.
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