The Latest Breaking News on COVID-19

New Zealand has reviewed its COVID-19 pandemic settings, deciding after a "difficult balancing act" to hold onto the seven-day self-isolation period.

BBC presenter and beloved mum Lisa Shaw died from complications following her jab in 2021

AstraZeneca said that its vaccines have 'clear and stringent standards to ensure' their safety

XBB.1.5 is the predominant sub-variant, with upwards of 300 in hospitals in Ireland with Covid on Wednesday

Latest data hints masks may not be as beneficial as people previously thought when fighting against the variant

As many 6,050 fresh Covid-19 infections were recorded in the country in the last 24 hours, marking a significant jump from Thursday's tally of 5,335 cases. Read further on Dynamite News:

In a world moving on from the COVID-19 pandemic, hospitals and medical offices have been the last bastions of mandatory masking. But new research finds that in communities where pandemic precautions have been largely abandoned, mask mandates in healthcare settings do little to prevent coronavirus infections among patients.

Here's a quick wrap of the COVID-19 news and case numbers from each Australian jurisdiction from the past week.

Items touched by infected person can act as vector for transmission of the virus

The vaccine has been approved for use in children age between six months and four years old

The JCVI has advised that clinically vulnerable children aged six months to four years should be offered the vaccincation.