NSW student believed to be first case of Omicron community transmission

A school student in western Sydney is believed to be the first case of community transmission of the Omicron strain of Covid in Australia, as health authorities decide against shortening the interval period for booster shots.

The student from Regents Park Christian School is the ninth confirmed Omicron case in New South Wales. The source of the infection is unclear, as the student has not travelled overseas recently and has no links to any returned travellers.

On Friday, authorities confirmed two other Covid-positive students from the school were infected with the Omicron strain.

Students in senior grades have already finished for the year, however contact tracers are investigating if the Omicron variant has spread further and could be circulating in the community.

And late Friday, the ACT confimired a case of the Omicron variant had been in the community. Health authorities were attempting to trace if the case was acquired in NSW as the individual had not been overseas.

Amid concerns that Omicron could be spreading, the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation determined that Australians will still have to wait six months after their second Covid vaccine dose to receive their booster.

Also on Friday, the Northern Territory recorded its first death from Covid-19, as police start an investigation into the border breach that ignited the current outbreak.