Received

A highly publicised month-long search for the remains of missing toddler William Tyrrell is set to conclude in coming days.

The NSW Police Force said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that the current inquiries and search operations in the mid north coast town of Kendall would soon wrap up.

The search for William, who went missing in Kendall in 2014, began on November 15 and involved divers, mechanical diggers, and dozens of police.

Rural Fire Service volunteers, an archaeologist and expert hydrologist have also helped the enormous effort.

Police have not informed the public of any significant finds from the search, which was occasionally thwarted by heavy rainfall.

However, they said on Tuesday forensic examinations of items seized during the search and a "significant" quantity of soil was ongoing.

Strike force detectives will prepare a brief for the coroner investigating the boy's disappearance.

"The NSW Police Force remains committed to finding William Tyrrell and investigations by the Homicide Squad's Strike Force Rosann are ongoing," the statement said.

A police team will facilitate a repatriation of the site.

Investigators extended their gratitude to the NSW RFS, Salvation Army and the Kendall community for hospitality and assistance.

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Australia's high vaccination rate puts it in good shape to battle the Omicron variant of COVID-19 without shifting back into restrictions, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says.

Mr Morrison visited Melbourne on Tuesday to announce an agreement with Moderna and the Victorian government to make mRNA vaccines at a new facility which could start as early as 2024.

The announcement came a day ahead of the reopening of Tasmania's borders and inbound travel for foreign students and skilled migrants.

As well, from Wednesday in NSW unvaccinated people will be allowed back in pubs, cafes, gyms and shops and mask mandates will be eased.

"We're not letting Omicron take us back," Mr Morrison said.

"We've decided as a country to live with this virus and Australians have worked so hard for that.

"Australia can now open up. This Christmas we're about to have is a gift Australians have given to themselves by the way they've worked together with the settings that we've put in place."

NSW recorded 804 new cases and one death on Tuesday with 168 people in hospital and 21 in ICU.

More than 93 per cent of the state's population aged 16 and over are fully vaccinated.

"We're not about to start backflipping," NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said.

However, he warned case numbers in the most populous state would rise as the unvaccinated mixed with the vaccinated.

Victoria recorded 1189 new cases - including three confirmed Omicron - and six deaths on Tuesday.

The ACT has recorded four new cases with four people in hospital, including one in intensive care, and the Northern Territory had four cases.

The latest vaccine figures show 89.5 per cent of Australia's 16-plus population is fully vaccinated and 93.4 per cent have at at least one dose.

Australian Medical Association vice-president Chris Moy said while evidence pointed to the new Omicron strain being milder than Delta, a large spike in cases could still be threatening if there is a large number of people in hospital at the same time.

Infectious diseases paediatrician Professor Robert Booy encouraged people to get their booster shots over the holiday season with vaccine immunity against Omicron likely being lower.

Lieutenant General John Frewen, who is leading the vaccine rollout, said he was happy with the uptake of booster shots, with 75,000 people getting their third jab on Monday.

Around 80 per cent of eligible Australia's had received their boosters before the recommended timeframe was brought forward from six months to five on Sunday.

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Victorian scientists are hoping to fine-tune Australia's first mRNA vaccine by the first quarter of 2022.

Researchers at Monash University developed the vaccine during a five-month period and phase one clinical trials are due to begin in January, Victorian Medical Research Minister Jaala Pulford says.

The announcement comes as the federal and Victorian governments announced they will set up the country's first mRNA vaccine manufacturing facility at a site to be decided.

It will be able to produce as many as 25 million vaccines a year and have the capacity to scale up production to 100 million doses a year to help combat a future pandemic.

The facility will be built in Victoria as part of a partnership between the federal and state governments, as well as vaccine manufacturer Moderna, and is expected to be operational by 2024.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the new manufacturing plant would produce respiratory vaccines for potential future pandemics and as well as seasonal health issues such as the flu.

"With Moderna, we have a partner that ensures their intellectual property, their knowledge, their advances in medical science can be brought here and be part of an ecosystem that will see Australia be a leader in this area," he said.

Australian Medical Association president Omar Khorshid said the production would be a significant addition to the world's vaccination stocks during a future pandemic.

"It is great news, not just for the management of this pandemic, but for the enormous horizons that mRNA technology has in terms of treating other diseases we wouldn't have thought could be treated by vaccines, such as cancers," he told the Nine Network.

Mr Morrison said the new facility would also be a step towards helping Australia's Pacific neighbours vaccinate their population with the second closest country with the capability being Singapore.

"Having that facility for mRNA vaccines will help us support not only the vaccine but our dear Pacific family," he said.

The project is expected to create 1000 new jobs - 500 in construction and 500 ongoing roles.

But the federal government is keeping the costs close to its chest, saying the amount of taxpayer's dollars spent on the deal was commercial in confidence.

Independent senator Jacqui Lambie welcomed the announcement but criticised the government for waiting for the run into a federal election to fund the facility.

"I am sick and tired of them waiting for an election to call before they get off their rear end and actually get anything achieved in this country," she told Nine.

"They were talking about this 1.5 years ago (and) we're still talking. It will be interesting to see how long this actually takes."

The country's Moderna and Pfizer supplies have been reliant on overseas production.

The AstraZeneca vaccine started production onshore during the pandemic but Australia has not had the capacity to make the newer mRNA vaccines.

The federal government is also set to invest $25 million in the next financial year to help researchers conduct clinical trials of mRNA vaccines.

© AAP 2021