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COVID-19 update: Queensland to reduce pay for unvaccinated school teachers and staff

This is your update on COVID-19 in Australia for 24 August.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (centre) visits a high school in Ipswich. (file) Source: AAP / DAN PELED

Key Points

South Australia prepares for another wave in November
Data shows air travel is yet to return to the pre-pandemic level in Australia
After Pfizer, Moderna seeks approval for its vaccine targeting BA.5 subvariant

On Wednesday, Australia reported at least 60 COVID-19 deaths, including 29 in Queensland, 14 in New South Wales and 10 in Victoria.

Check the latest COVID-19 trends for new cases, hospitalisations and deaths in Australia

here

The Queensland government has sent out letters to 900 of 54,000 public school teachers and other school staff saying they will have a "small-scale temporary reduction" in pay for failing to take the COVID-19 vaccine.

Federal Aged Care Minister Anika Wells told Nine's Today program that teachers are facing "the consequences of their decision."

South Australian Health Minister Chris Picton said the state could face another COVID-19 wave in November.

Sydney airport's chief executive Geoff Culbert said the passenger air traffic has not returned to the pre-pandemic level.

Data showed a 15.5 per cent decline in domestic passengers and a 42.2 per cent decline in the number of international passengers that passed through the Sydney airport in July compared with the same month in 2019.

After Pfizer, Moderna also submitted its application to the US Food and Drug Administration to authorise an updated version of its COVID booster dose that targets Omicron's BA.5 subvariant.

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