By Hope NewsroomMonday 20 Sep 2021NewsReading Time: 2 minutes
Today’s headlines from the Hope News team. You can listen to hourly bulletin updates at hopenews.com.au.
Restrictions in Sydney’s COVID hotspots are now in line with the rest of the city.
Fully-vaccinated people are able to picnic in groups of five.
People are able to attend small weddings in the city, and elect a single-bubble buddy outside of their area.
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Australia’s first million doses of the Moderna COVID vaccine will be distributed this week.
The vaccine will be administered through 1800 community pharmacies.
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An additional $180 million in support will be given to airlines to tide them over until international travel resumes.
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Australians stranded in the UK have held a small vigil in London.
They say they either keeping getting bumped off flights, or can’t afford the sky-high price of flights and the cost of hotel quarantine.
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Smoke from hazard reduction burns is lingering over parts of Sydney, driving down air quality.
It’s expected to clear as winds pick up later in the day.
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Security issues will dominate talks in the US, on Prime Minister Scott Morrison’s week-long trip to Washington.
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The Federal Government has unveiled a new program to improve diagnosis for people with hepatitis C.
The technology can test for active Hep-C infection by taking a small amount of blood from a fingertip.
The blood is then analysed on site, and a result returned within an hour, allowing treatment to begin immediately.
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New data shows Koala populations are falling across the country.
The Australian Koala Foundation said between 32,000 to 57,000 koalas are estimated to remain in the wild.