Australia to further shorten wait for COVID booster

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt on Friday announced plans to shorten the gap between second coronavirus vaccine doses and boosters from five months to four starting Jan. 4 and down to three beginning Jan. 31. 

New South Wales state reported more than 5,000 new coronavirus cases in 24 hours for the second straight day as the state and federal governments rolled out measures to curb the spread of the virus.  State Premier Dominic Perrottet had resisted mandating mask-wearing indoors until Thursday's record caseload led him to reconsider.