The Loop: No change to booster eligibility, 'five angels' of Tasmanian tragedy mourned, sidelined AFLW player challenges vaccine mandate

Hi there. It's Friday, December 17 and you're reading The Loop, a quick wrap-up of the news you need to know about. 

One thing you should know

Authorities are sticking with the five-month timeline for COVID vaccine booster shots at this stage, despite the Omicron-flavoured dressing on the Christmas season.

Chief Medical Officer Professor Paul Kelly said while the Omicron variant does appear more likely to break through the protection provided by two doses compared to the Delta variant, it remains less likely to bring on severe illness.

Catch up on the details:

The waiting time for a COVID-19 vaccine booster has already been reduced from six months to five for adults.

What else is going on

• The identities of the five primary school children killed in yesterday's jumping castle accident in Tasmania have been released, with the permission of their families. Addison Stewart, 11, Zane Mellor, 12, Jye Sheehan, 12, Jalailah Jayne-Maree Jones, 12, and Peter Dodt, 12, died and multiple other children were injured when a jumping castle at their end-of-school-year celebrations was swept away by the wind.

Peter, Jalailah, Addison, Jye and Zane's deaths have sparked an outpouring of grief from around the country. (Supplied: Tasmania Police)

• Queensland has re-introduced mask rules for settings like retail, public transport, hospitals, aged care facilities and more. Health minister Yvette D'Ath says the mask mandate will not be applied to venues that are only open to people who have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, like restaurants and pubs.

News alerts you might have missed

• At least 27 people have died in the Japanese city of Osaka after a fire in a busy shopping district. Police suspect it may have been arson
• Sidelined AFLW player Deni Varnhagen is among a group of workers challenging the SA government's COVID vaccine mandate in court

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What Australia has been searching for online

• Chris Noth. The Sex and the city actor has denied sexual assault accusations after the Hollywood Reporter published a story in which two women, using pseudonyms, alleged he assaulted them in Los Angeles and New York in 2004 and 2015
• MYEFO. In case you missed it yesterday, the government has offered another glimpse into how it thinks Australia will keep recovering from the pandemic. Get the quick recap of it all here

You're up to date

Thanks for joining us this week.

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