COVID-19: At-risk Australians younger than 5 years to get vaccine

At-risk Australian children as young as six months would be eligible for coronavirus vaccines from September as the country continued to battle against the wave of Omicron sub-variant infections.

Health Minister, Mark Butler on Wednesday, said the federal government had accepted the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation's recommendation that Moderna's vaccine be made available to children with an elevated risk of severe illness from COVID-19.

"From Sept. 5, approximately 70,000 children aged six months to under five years who are severely immunocompromised, have a disability or complex health conditions will be able to receive their first vaccine dose.

"Two doses are recommended eight weeks apart, except for the severely immunocompromised who will require three primary doses."

Australia on Wednesday, reported more than 40,000 new COVID-19 infections and more than 60 deaths.

It took the nation's total pandemic death toll past 12,000.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a total of 9,476,160 cases of COVID-19 had been reported in Australia, including approximately 335,069 active cases, according to the latest data from the Department of Health.

There were 5,002 cases being treated in Australian hospitals on Tuesday, including 184 in intensive care units.

A report published by the Productivity Commission on Wednesday partly blamed the pandemic for the slowest productivity growth in 60 years.

"Australian productivity growth is at its lowest rate in 60 years. This broad-based slowdown has been observed across advanced economies," said the report.