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A third of Australians have taken up grocery shopping online since COVID lockdowns began in 2020.

As expected, the click-and-collect or delivery trend is even more pronounced where stay-at-home orders are harshest and longest.

A national survey by leading comparison site Finder reveals a substantial number of Australians have changed their shopping habits over the past year.

It found 33 per cent of 1015 respondents or the equivalent of 6.4 million people have turned to buying groceries online, 43 per cent of them from NSW where Sydney has been locked down for nine weeks.

Some 31 per cent of Victorians are doing likewise.

The research indicates almost two in 10 Australians now make some purchases using a keyboard or tablet. Fourteen per cent make most of them that way and seven per cent are thinking of doing so.

"Online shopping has skyrocketed since the pandemic began and supermarkets have made significant changes to their in-store experience," according to personal finance expert Kate Browne.

"Many Australians now have a huge range of meal options at their fingertips, made even easier by food boxes, meal-kits and food delivery services."

Supermarket giant Woolworths has told AAP its weekly volume of online orders has doubled in NSW areas hit hardest by lockdowns and it is seeing a broader "significant uplift" across home delivery and click-and-collect services.

The chain has doubled its online order capacity in parts of Sydney, with many orders filled from dedicated warehouses in Lidcombe, Brookvale and Mascot.

"It's not often you'll hear a retailer urge customers to spend less time shopping but that's exactly what we all need to do right now," Woolworths Supermarkets Managing Director Natalie Davis said in a statement.

"If you need to visit a store, please be kind to each other and our team, sign in with the government QR code and, wherever possible, have just one household member do the shopping."

The supermarket said it is offering the first pick of its online delivery times to seniors, people with a disability or compromised immunity and those in mandatory isolation.

Despite the evidence of a broad shift to online shopping, the survey showed shoppers in lockdown-free Western Australia (78 per cent) and South Australia (70 per cent) still refer to go to the supermarket.

Baby Boomers (86 per cent) are least likely to have changed their habits, despite 82 per cent of them conceding it's more efficient to shop online.

Ms Browne recommends using online shopping as a money- and time-saving tool.

"It can give you the power to hunt around for a bargain," she said.

"Meal delivery services are great for those who have larger households looking to save money, cut down on food waste and spend less time shopping and cooking."

© AAP 2021

US intelligence agencies remain divided on the origins of coronavirus, but believe China's leaders did not know about the virus before the start of the global pandemic.

According to an unclassified summary of a review ordered by President Joe Biden, four members of the US intelligence community say with low confidence that the virus was initially transmitted from an animal to a human.

A fifth intelligence agency believes with moderate confidence that the first human infection was linked to a lab. Analysts do not believe the virus was developed as a bioweapon.

China's refusal to fully cooperate with US and international investigations of the virus has hampered reviews of the virus' origins.

The Director of National Intelligence said that China "continues to hinder the global investigation, resist sharing information, and blame other countries including the United States".

The cause of the coronavirus remains an urgent public health and security concern worldwide. In the US, many conservatives have accused Chinese scientists of developing Covid-19 in a lab and allowing it to leak.

The scientific consensus remains that the virus most likely migrated from animals in what is known as a zoonotic transmission.

China's foreign ministry attacked the US investigation ahead of the report's release. Fu Cong, a Foreign Ministry director general, said at a briefing for foreign journalists that "scapegoating China cannot whitewash the US".

"If they want to baselessly accuse China, they better be prepared to accept the counterattack from China," he said.

Mr Biden in May ordered a 90-day review of what the White House said was an initial finding leading to "two likely scenarios": an animal-to-human transmission or a lab leak.

The White House said then that two agencies in the 18-member intelligence community leaned toward the hypothesis of a transmission in nature and another agency leaned toward a lab leak.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence on Friday did not identify which agencies supported either hypothesis.

But it noted some of the same hurdles facing the World Health Organisation and scientists worldwide: a lack of clinical samples and data from the earliest cases of Covid-19.

Beijing's cooperation would most likely be needed to make further progress, the office said.

In conducting the review, intelligence agencies consulted with allied nations and experts outside of government.

An epidemiologist was brought into the National Intelligence Council, a group of senior experts that consults the head of the intelligence community.

© PAA 2021

South Sydney coach Wayne Bennett is pondering an NRL finals campaign without his star fullback after Latrell Mitchell's high shot likely ended Joey Manu's season and marred their 54-12 win over the Sydney Roosters.

Roosters centre Manu was sent to hospital with a suspected fractured cheekbone after Mitchell's shoulder in a wild tackle sent him crashing to the Suncorp Stadium turf on Friday.

Mitchell was sin-binned and, if stung with a grade two dangerous contact charge, could miss the rest of the season given the loading he's accrued from a string of previous incidents.

The 24-year-old had gone to another level at fullback this season, offering hope that Souths could challenge title fancies Melbourne and Penrith after he missed last year's finals series with a hamstring injury.

Former NSW coach and administrator Phil Gould said Mitchell's tackle had effectively knocked both teams out of the competition, while Paul Gallen was adamant Souths, currently third, couldn't win without Mitchell in the No.1.

"We'll have to wait and see," Bennett said when asked if they could win the title without Mitchell.

"He's a huge player for us, but we didn't have him last year in the playoffs and I think we're a better team than we were last year and pretty good at getting other players to play well for us in key positions.

"We've won a lot of games this year with a lot of players missing.

"At the moment, we're looking at a couple of key players missing through suspension, but I'm confident there's enough good players to make it happen.

"It just makes it a bit harder."

Liam Knight was also reported for a hip drop tackle on Siosiua Taukeiaho, leaving Bennett to admit any plans to rest players in next week's final round could be taken out of his hands by the judiciary.

Roosters coach Trent Robinson launched a post-match tirade at the officials for their handling of both incidents.

He compared the bunker to a circus "so bad it's actually funny" and declared former Rooster Mitchell needed to "get that (foul play) out of his game".

"Trel plays on the edge and that's what makes him a great player to watch," he said.

"He's a wonderful player, but I can look at that and think of course Latrell needs to get that out of his game.

"I'm angry at him for that incident ... I absolutely love him but he's just cost one of his good mates (Manu) his season ... it's not on and really hurts."

Bennett fired back when told of Robinson's remarks.

"Trent's got a couple of those players himself that he coaches, I don't know why he's looking over the fence at us," he said.

"No-one likes to see what happened out there tonight, but it's out of my control now and we'll see what happens."

© AAP 2021