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England's batsmen must step up and come to the aid of skipper Joe Root who has constantly been fighting a lone battle to rescue the side after numerous batting collapses in recent years, former captains believe.

England surrendered the first Ashes Test at the Gabba on Saturday following a spectacular batting collapse where the tourists lost eight wickets in the first session, allowing Australia to go 1-0 up with an emphatic nine-wicket victory.

"For a long time now, England have found themselves 3-20, 3-30, 4-40. They were 4-29 in the first innings of this Test and went on to be bowled out for 147," Nasser Hussain wrote in his Sky Sports column.

"Root has been their star player for a number of years and is the only one this year who averages over 40 in Test cricket.

"Root and (Dawid) Malan are the only ones averaging over 30, Root and Rory Burns are the only ones with Test hundreds.

"I'm afraid that's just not good enough, that is not going to win you that many Test matches. It can't just be Root."

Root had surpassed Michael Vaughan for the most Test runs in a calendar year for England on Friday and even the former captain was critical of the way the side had collapsed.

"Problem for England is when they have a bad session, they have Test match-losing sessions with the bat. It's been happening for too long against the better teams," Vaughan wrote on Twitter.

Michael Atherton, who led England in 54 Tests, added that although Root's decision to bat first at the "Gabbatoir" was a mistake, the manner of his team's dismissals was also a concern.

"Batting badly was a more costly mistake. Time and again, England's batting line-up underwhelms and Root himself can only carry so much weight," Atherton wrote in The Times.

"The first innings total was a hundred runs below par; with a competitive total it was possible to see a route to success batting first.

"Poor batting and missed chances resulted in a deficit too challenging to overcome."

© RAW 2021

Image: England Cricket

As the Omicron variant continues to spread, Health Minister Greg Hunt says data from Israel shows booster jabs lead to reductions in infection rates as well as the rate of severe disease and deaths.

"A booster dose, five or more months after the second dose, will make sure that the protection from the primary course is even stronger and longer lasting and should help prevent spread of the virus," he told Nine newspapers.

Victoria's Chief Health Officer Brett Sutton commended the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation for changing its advice on the booster gap.

"Thanks ATAGI. There is an urgent need for third doses/boosters. Don't delay if you're due. I'll now get mine before Christmas," he tweeted on Saturday night.

Victoria recorded 13 virus deaths on Saturday - although seven occurred in November - and 1193 new cases. None of the infections were identified as Omicron.

Cases continue to rise in NSW which reported 560 new infections on Saturday, the highest in two months, and another three people died. Three of the new cases were of the Omicron variant, taking the total in the state to 45.

Eleven more people tested positive for COVID-19 in the ACT, while South Australia reported six local cases and Queensland and the Northern Territory recorded one each.

Two cases announced in South Australia on Friday were confirmed to be the Omicron COVID-19 variant, SA Health said on Saturday night.

Western Australia - the only state to have fully vaccinated 80 per cent of its eligible population - will tighten its borders from Monday, ending 47 days of quarantine-free travel with Queensland.

WA Premier Mark McGowan saying vaccinated travellers from Queensland must now quarantine for 14 days on arrival, following a virus outbreak on the Gold Coast.

Meanwhile, Queensland is preparing to reopen its borders to virus hotspots in NSW, Victoria and the ACT from Monday.

This domestic opening comes as the federal government prepares to welcome back international students and other visa holders, after delaying the move by two weeks.

It's also extended biosecurity measures controlling who can enter and leave the country until February 17.

Mandatory COVID-19 testing for people wanting to fly into Australia will continue, along with mask mandates on international flights.

The rules also cover restrictions on international arrivals from high-risk countries, unvaccinated Australians wanting to go overseas, and controls on cruise ships.

© AAP 2021