Received

A second type of COVID-19 vaccine has been approved for children, with six to 11-year-olds able to receive the Moderna vaccine from Thursday.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation gave the final green light for the vaccine to be rolled out across the country.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the new approval would help to boost Australia's child vaccination rate, which now stands at nearly 50 per cent.

"We have Moderna in over 4000 points of presence around the country," Mr Hunt told reporters in Canberra.

"That will make it very easy for parents."

The dose for children will be half of what is given to adults, but is the same amount as a Moderna booster shot.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration has recommended children receive two doses of the Moderna vaccine, spaced eight weeks apart.

However, it can be administered as little as four weeks apart in some instances, such as if a child is immunocompromised.

The head of the administration, Professor John Skerritt, said the TGA was the first major regulator in the world to approve the Moderna vaccine for use in children.

"We do expect other global regulators to follow soon," he told reporters.

"There's a convenience factor in that the GP or a pharmacy or vaccination centre can use exactly the same vials from Moderna for children, for boosters and for the adults."

Mr Hunt said the number of parents who intended to have their children be vaccinated against COVID had risen to 76 per cent.

It comes as the health minister asked infectious diseases expert Professor Julie Leask to lead a roundtable on what can be done to boost vaccine rates among children.

The task force, which will meet next week with the Commonwealth, state and territories, will also look at whether schools could be used as part of vaccination drives for children.

Mr Hunt said while the number of children who have been vaccinated is already high, it could go even further.

"Through the program, I have not put a ceiling or floor on the numbers (of child vaccination), and that's hopefully helped us to continue to drive up and up," he said.

"With children's vaccination programs, we're encouraging all states and territories to undertake this."

Mr Hunt also revealed since the Novavax vaccine was approved in Australia last month, 12,000 doses of the protein-based vaccine have been administered across the country.

"(The rate is) well ahead of what we'd anticipated in this time frame," he said.

"That's providing an additional option for people who, whatever their circumstances, may not have been confident or may not have been able to have taken one orf the other vaccine options that's available."

National booster rates have risen to 62.1 per cent of the eligible population.

Wednesday saw 60 COVID-19 deaths reported across the country, including 37 in Queensland, 17 in Victoria and six in NSW.

Nationally, there have been more than 23,000 COVID-19 cases registered in the past reporting period.

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NSW has reported 8931 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths, as the state notches up a week with fewer than 10,000 daily cases.

NSW Health reports there are 1246 COVID patients in hospital, 69 of them in intensive care.

Restrictions are easing with QR check-ins dropped at most venues last week, and from Friday masks will no longer be mandatory at most indoor settings.

From Monday staff and students in NSW schools won't be required to undertake twice-weekly rapid antigen tests, unless they have symptoms.

Instead, staff and students will be provided with eight RAT kits to be used as required.

High school students won't be required to wear masks from next week, Sydney radio 2GB reports.

Masks would be phased out for primary school teachers the following week, it said on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Kemps Creek Public School in Sydney's west has closed for the rest of the week because of the number of students and staff who have tested positive to COVID-19.

"In response to this we must revert temporarily to minimal supervision effective as of Wednesday 23 February 2022, until and including Friday 25 February," the school's Facebook page says.

NSW Health reports 52.2 per cent of people have had three vaccine doses, while 79 per cent of people aged 12-15 are double-jabbed.

Nearly 47 per cent of children aged 5-11 have had one vaccine dose.

Meanwhile, incoming boss of NSW Health Susan Pearce revealed on Tuesday the government had spent more than $4 billion to the state's health system to manage the impacts of the pandemic during the past two years.

Tuesday marked the one-year anniversary of the state's vaccination program, which had delivered more than 16.6 million jabs.

Ms Pearce said the state had achieved a vaccination coverage that was among the best in the world, and urged people to get their booster shots as soon as possible and vaccinate their children.

"For the next two weekends, people can simply show up to a NSW Health clinic for walk-in vaccinations for the whole family, no appointments required," Ms Pearce said.

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High school students and staff in NSW won't have to wear masks any longer as a swathe of COVID-19 restrictions ease in schools next week.

Premier Dominic Perrottet says the relaxation of measures is a sensible approach will give students, staff and parents more freedom to enjoy school life while keeping the school community safe.

"It is time to afford our students and parents more normality.

"Everyone wants to get back to the school activities and events we all love," Mr Perrottet said on Wednesday.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell says the mask mandate for students and high school staff will be scrapped on Monday because transmission "is still very low in our school communities".

Teachers and staff at primary schools and childcare centres will no longer have to mask up from March 7.

Parents will be allowed back on school campuses, year groups will be able to mix freely while assemblies and school camps are back.

"Schools will do this in a way that's safe and sensible.

"It's about getting that balance right, as we start to really open up some of these opportunities for our kids to enjoy that full school experience that so many of them have missed out on for too long."

The government announced on Sunday that from next week staff and students won't be required to undertake twice-weekly rapid antigen tests, unless they have symptoms.

The easing of restrictions was announced as Kemps Creek Public School in Sydney's west closed for the rest of the week because of the high number of students and staff who had tested positive to COVID-19.

"In response to this we must revert temporarily to minimal supervision effective as of Wednesday 23 February 2022, until and including Friday 25 February," the school's Facebook page says.

NSW reported 8931 new COVID-19 cases and six more deaths on Wednesday.

Four women and two men died, three were in their 80s, and three were in their 90s, bringing the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic to 1861.

NSW Health reports there are 1246 COVID patients in hospital, 69 of them in intensive care and 29 are ventilated.

Restrictions are easing with QR check-ins dropped at most venues last week, and from Friday masks will no longer be mandatory at most indoor settings.

NSW Health reports 52.2 per cent of people have had three vaccine doses, while 79 per cent of people aged 12-15 are double-jabbed.

Nearly 47 per cent of children aged 5-11 have had one vaccine dose.

© AAP 2022