On Tuesday, Australia reported at least 75 COVID-19 deaths, including 26 in New South Wales (NSW), 25 in Victoria and 18 in Queensland.
Queensland reported 983 people with COVID-19 in hospitals - its highest since the pandemic started.
Check the latest COVID-19 trends for new cases, hospitalisations and deaths in Australia .
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has provisionally approved Moderna's Spikevax vaccine for children aged six months to five years. The two doses could be given 28 days apart.
"Clinical trials showed that the safety profile in children is similar to that seen in adults. Most adverse events seen in clinical trials in children aged six months up to six years were mild-moderate and generally reported after the second dose," it said.
"These included irritability/crying, redness and/or swelling at (the) injection site, fatigue, fever, muscle pain and axillary (groin) swelling or tenderness."
However, the vaccine still needs to be approved by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) before it could be used in children.
On Tuesday, ATAGI recommended reducing the current interval between the fourth dose and recent coronavirus infection from four months to three months.
ATAGI said a higher coverage of the COVID-19 winter booster dose in older adults, including those aged 50 to 64, could reduce the number of coronavirus-related hospitalisations over the coming months.
Minister for Government Services Bill Shorten asked workers to use their sick leave before claiming the pandemic payment.
Health and school authorities across Australia are urging students and school staff to wear face masks at least for the first four weeks of Term 3.
NSW could temporarily reintroduce additional measures at schools.
These measures include ceasing large indoor gatherings, ceasing off-site and inter-school activities, cancelling or postponing overnight activities and excursions.
And mandating mask wearing for adults and high school students, limiting visitors to schools, separating cohorts of students, learning from home or remotely and close contacts attending school.
Minister for Aged Care Anika Wells said her department will publish the resident vaccination rates at individual aged care homes from 1 August.
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