Live: All the COVID news you need from across Australia

By Alexis Moran

Case numbers and hospitalisations by state

Victoria: 1,245 new cases, six deaths. 392 in hospital, 73 in ICU.

NSW: 3,057 new cases, two deaths. 284 in hospital, 39 in ICU.

Tasmania: Four new cases. 0 in hospital.

Donald Trump has received a vaccine booster shot

Former US President Donald Trump has revealed he received a booster shot of the COVID-19 vaccine, prompting boos from an audience.

Mr Trump made the disclosure during a live interview show with former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly in Dallas.

When asked whether he had got a booster, Mr Trump said he had, and then urged the crowd not to boo his response.

While Mr Trump has expressed opposition to vaccine mandates, he has long taken credit for the vaccines developed when he was President.

Tasmania records four new COVID cases 

There are 14 total active cases in the state. 

Queensland presser time 

Hey Alexis

What time is the Queensland update today?

Thanks!

-Z

Hey, Z. Queensland will be holding a press conference at 11:00am AEST. 

Deputy Premier Steven Miles and Chief Health Officer Dr John Gerrard will be present.

Queen cancels traditional Christmas at Sandringham because of COVID Omicron variant

Queen Elizabeth II will celebrate Christmas at Windsor instead of her usual choice of Sandringham as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread rapidly, a palace source says. 

A new wave of infections has swept across the United Kingdom in recent weeks since the outbreak of the new variant.

The country recorded 91,743 new cases on Monday and 44 deaths.

There have been more than 584,000 new cases recorded in the last seven days, as well as 786 deaths.

Last week, she cancelled pre-Christmas lunch with her family as a safety precaution against the latest variant.

Calls for booster shots to be brought forward

Reporting by Yara Murray-Atfield

Leading epidemiologist Mary-Louise McLaws has added her voice to the chorus of people calling for booster shots of COVID-19 vaccines to be brought forward.

Currently, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) says people can get a third dose five months after their second.

“I don’t understand it,” World Health Organization advisor and UNSW Professor McLaws said.

The efficacy of all vaccines is shown to wane in the months after the second dose, early evidence suggests the Omicron variant is much more likely to lead to breakthrough infections in vaccinated people.

“I can only assume that it hasn’t been brought forward because of availability,” Professor McLaws said.

“Or, that the ATAGI advisory group are incredibly conservative.”

ATAGI co-chair Allen Cheng, who is also a former deputy Victorian chief health officer, explained in a weekend opinion piece for the Nine newspapers that the advisory group was waiting for more concrete data on Omicron and its interaction with vaccines.

“We need to consider the ‘long game’ – do we ‘take the shot’ now, or wait until the picture is a bit clearer with an eye to winter, variant vaccines and what might still come?” he wrote.

Victoria records 1,245 new COVID cases and six deaths 

73 people are in ICU.

NSW records 3,057 new COVID cases and two deaths

39 people are in ICU.

Hi. I’m confused, is Nashy cab today or tomorrow?

-Confused

I’ve just had confirmation that National Cabinet is on tomorrow! 

Some people in SA wait eight hours for a COVID test 

Reporting by Sarah Mullins

People have been waiting for as long as eight hours overnight to get a COVID-19 test at South Australia’s largest testing clinic.

Yet again the Victoria Park testing clinic has been inundated. The lineup snakes back for over a kilometer out of the site and onto Wakefield and Fullarton Road.

Some at the front of the queue say they have been waiting for as long as eight hours to get a test.

There have been similar scenes over the past few days as the demand for testing has dramatically increased due to a rise in cases and exposure sites in SA along with interstate arrivals coming in for the Ashes and Christmas.

Yesterday more than 20,000 tests were carried out, that number is only expected to grow in the coming days.

Long queues for testing and temporary closures in Vic

Reporting by Tim Callanan

Melburnians hoping to get early COVID-19 tests this morning have again been frustrated by long queues and temporary venue closures.

Testing centres at Albert Park, South Melbourne, Burwood, Wantirna, and Keysborough all reached capacity shortly after opening this morning.

People are now being turned away from those testing facilities.

The state recorded some of its highest-ever testing figures in the past week, and broke its all-time daily record when 88,083 tests were processed on Friday.

Victoria’s COVID-19 response commander Jeroen Weimar said yesterday that testing capacity had been increased, but he urged people to consider using rapid tests if they don’t have symptoms.

A high number of people are getting tests because they are required to for interstate travel.

Hi there

Welcome along to another ABC News COVID live blog.

Just four sleeps til Christmas!