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Health secretary Brendan Murphy says the emergence of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus makes getting a booster vaccination more important.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has given approval to the Moderna vaccine as a booster shot for Australians aged 18 and over.

Like the other mRNA Pfizer booster vaccine, it can be used irrespective of what a person received for their primary course of vaccination.

ATAGI, of which Professor Murphy is its chair, has also confirmed booster doses can be provided from five months after completion of the primary course.

This was previously recommended to be six months from a second dose.

"In the light of the Omicron variant we do believe that boosters are going to be much more important," Prof Murphy told reporters in Melbourne after receiving his Moderna booster shot with Health Minister Greg Hunt.

"The Omicron variant is likely to spread around the world. It's also very exciting that we now have Moderna as an alternative booster."

The Moderna booster dosage is half that of the primary course dosage.

Mr Hunt and Prof Murphy had the AstraZeneca vaccine for their first two shots,

Mr Hunt said it didn't matter whether you had Pfizer or Moderna as a booster short.

"None of us think about the brand of our flu vaccine, we shouldn't be thinking about the brand of our COVID vaccine," Mr Hunt said.

The government will soon release a campaign to promote the booster shot in the run-up to Christmas and into the new year.

He said more than 670,000 Australians had already received more than two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.

The announcement came as NSW recorded 485 new COVID-19 cases and two virus-related deaths.

Genomic testing into additional Omicron cases continues, with the state tally up to 45 as of Saturday.

There were 1069 new infections reported in Victoria and two deaths.

As of Saturday, Victorian authorities were responding to three existing Omicron infections.

The ACT recorded just one new infection, as did Queensland, an overseas arrival from Nigeria, which is being closely monitored for Omicron.

Queensland fully opens its border on Monday, the first time in 229 days that people won't have to quarantine on arrival provided they are fully vaccinated.

Mr Hunt said more than 40 million COVID-19 vaccines had been administered in Australia, with more than 93 per cent of eligible Australians aged 16 and older having received a first dose and more than 89 per cent having received a second dose.

Government frontbencher Peter Dutton said it was important people understood Australia was living with the virus now and the reason behind getting to a fully vaccinated rate of 80 or 90 per cent.

He said people did not want to go back into lockdowns.

"I think that is the general sentiment frankly across the country," he told Sky News' Sunday Agenda program.

"We need to recognise the mental health issues that have been generated in our community, the domestic violence issues from people being stuck at home for extended periods."

© AAP 2021

Melbourne superstar Cameron Munster has revealed he was losing thousands of dollars a week as he battled gambling and alcohol addictions before entering a rehab centre earlier this year.

Munster checked himself into the facility in Brisbane in the wake of the white powder scandal which led to him and two other Storm players - Brandon Smith and Chris Lewis - being sanctioned by the NRL.

The trio had been filmed partying in a hotel room with white powder present after the Storm's finals exit, with Munster copping a $30,000 fine and a week's suspension.

The Queensland State of Origin playmaker believes his time at the Banyans Health and Wellness centre has helped him realise the depth of his gambling issues, and how much it was affecting his on-field performance.

"Every Saturday I was in a gambling routine. Some days I'd win and have a really good game," Munster told News Corp Australia.

"Some days I might lose a lot of money and it was like a roller coaster.

"I'd have this anxiety about a big loss hanging over my head and it showed in the way I played."

Munster said he'd lost $50,000 in one day during lockdown earlier this year and had even had a bet in the dressing room before a game, hiding in a toilet to watch the race without teammates or coaching staff knowing.

The 27-year-old also confessed to binge drinking issues and vowed to avoid alcohol for at least the next 12 months.

Munster's rehab stint has paid immediate dividends, with the Storm impressed by the condition of the five-eighth upon his return to pre-season training.

Melbourne skipper Jesse Bromwich said earlier this week the only way the white powder trio will regain trust at the club is via their actions, a lesson the prop learned after being embroiled in a cocaine scandal outside a Canberra nightclub while on Test duty with New Zealand in 2017.

"People can get up and talk about things as much as they want but if you're putting it into actions and we can see that's happening you will be OK," Bromwich said.

Munster said the impending birth of his first child with partner Bianca McMahon is also forcing him to evaluate and alter his off-field choices.

"This baby is going to change our lives. I have to be more responsible. I have to be a good, supportive father and I will be," he said.

The two-time premiership player, meanwhile, dismissed speculation he would join expansion club the Dolphins when his contract with the Storm expires at the end of 2023.

"I'd like to be a one-club player and be here for the rest of my career," Munster said.

© AAP 2021

A man has been shot dead during a confrontation with firearms officers near the Kensington Palace royal residence in London, British police say.

The Metropolitan Police force said officers were called to reports that a man with a firearm had entered a bank and bookmakers in the Kensington area of west London.

He fled in a vehicle, which was stopped by officers nearby in an area that is home to several embassies and the palace, which is the official London residence of Prince William, his wife Kate and their three children.

It is also home to several other members of the royal family.

The force said "shots were fired and a man sustained gunshot wounds". He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Police say the incident is not being treated as terrorism.

© AP 2021