Sydney Expands Restrictions Easing, Australia Starts Giving Booster Doses Of COVID-19 Vaccine

JAKARTA - Australia will start administering booster doses of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine from Monday, as millions of people in its largest city, Sydney, begin to enjoy more freedom from restrictions, as vaccination efforts ramp up.

Australia's vaccination rate has been rising since July, after broadly missing its initial target, when the southeast of the country was hit by a third wave of COVID-19 infections, triggered by the highly contagious Delta variant and forcing a months-long lockdown.

Sydney and Melbourne, the two biggest cities and worst hit by the Delta wave, are racing to get vaccinated before gradually easing restrictions.

Life will return to near normal on Monday in New South Wales, home to Sydney, as the state approaches 90 percent of full-dose vaccinations in people over 16.

There will be no limit to the number of guests who are fully vaccinated at home, while restaurants and entertainment venues can allow more customers. Stadiums could operate at full capacity, as organizers look to get more fans for the football World Cup qualifying match between Australia and Saudi Arabia on Thursday.

Amid a vaccine-driven shift to more freedom, Federal Health Secretary Greg Hunt said more than 173,000 doses of the booster had been administered in elderly care centers and to some health workers ahead of Monday's official launch.

"So we're off to a great start. It's a good start and good news for Australians", Hunt told Seven News.

The dose will be given to people aged 18 years and over who had the second injection more than six months ago. To note, the two-dose vaccination rate in Australia reached 80 percent over the weekend.

With around 181,600 cases and 1,827 deaths, Australia's coronavirus toll is among the lowest in the developed world.

Most of the new cases were detected in Victoria, which recorded 1,126 new cases on Monday. Meanwhile, the neighboring state of New South Wales reported 187 infections. Other states and territories are COVID-19 free or have very few cases.