On Thursday, Australia reported at 44 least COVID-19 deaths, including 26 in New South Wales, nine in Victoria and five in Queensland. Also, Western Australia reported eight historical deaths.
Queensland's hospitalisation graph continues to rise. The state reported 512 people with COVID-19 in hospitals - its highest since 29 April.
Check the latest COVID-19 trends for new cases, hospitalisations and deaths in Australia here.
Health Minister Mark Butler said more than six million eligible Australians are yet to take their third vaccine dose. He said BA.4 and BA.5 sub-lineages of the Omicron variant are expected to drive new infections in the coming weeks.
In its latest weekly report, the World Health Organization noted that BA.5 and BA.4 infections are rising globally. BA.5 has been detected in 62 countries, and BA.4 is present in 58 nations.
It said in some countries, the rise in cases has also led to a surge in hospitalisations and ICU admissions.
Minister Butler said the ad campaign will encourage parents to get their children vaccinated against coronavirus. The current vaccination rate for children aged five to 11 is 40 per cent compared to 80 per cent in 12 to 15-year-olds.
He encouraged older Australians to consider oral tablets to treat COVID-19. He said two tablets of these treatments provide strong protection against severe disease and death. These treatments are available on the PBS.
Minister Butler said he is yet to receive any advice on scrapping face masks on inbound international flights. He said it's up to the states and territories to decide on face masks on domestic flights.
The health minister said he doesn't foresee a return of health measures such as face masks in public places amidst a rise in COVID-19 and flu cases.
The WHO is meeting today to decide whether monkeypox should be declared a public health emergency of international concern similar to COVID-19.
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