Auckland 23-year-old Brian James has been named as the victim of Thursday’s shooting in a Mt Roskill home. James was shot dead in a Glass Rd house about 9.30pm after two offenders entered the property and an altercation broke out….

New South Wales Health Minister Brad Hazzard has said he expects everybody in the state to contract the Omicron variant of COVID-19.

Speaking at a press conference this morning, Mr Hazzard was imploring residents to book in their vaccine booster shot as a defence against the variant of concern.

"Bottom line here is that we would expect that pretty well everybody in New South Wales at some point will get Omicron," Mr Hazzard said.

READ MORE: NSW sees another rise in COVID-19 cases as Victorian infections drop

"We're all going to get Omicron, and if we're all going to get Omicron, the best way to face it is when we have full vaccination including our booster.

"The challenge for us in the state is to make sure that our health system can cope with that oncoming virus that is so transmissible – it's extremely transmissible."

The Minister said international and state evidence showed that Omicron was not as "severe" as earlier variants, with the majority of people in ICU wards being unvaccinated.

"As I said earlier, everybody in New South Wales is probably going to get Omicron at some stage. Everybody in Australia will get Omicron," Mr Hazzard said.

"And what we're seeing at the moment is far milder symptoms."

READ MORE: COVID-19 testing in 'meltdown' as clinics close on public holiday

In the past 24 hours to 8pm NSW recorded a new daily high of 6394 COVID-19 cases from more than 109,500 tests.

The state's double-dose vaccination rate now sits at 93.5 per cent.

Premier Dominic Perrottet urged residents to consider using a rapid antigen test (RAT) if they weren't legally or medically required to get a PCR test as testing clinics are overwhelmed with demand.

READ MORE: Families reunited, while others spent Christmas Day in quarantine

https://twitter.com/NSWHealth/status/1474862544552546306

"I know there are long queues right across our state, so if you do not feel unwell there is no need to receive a PCR test. You are taking a spot in the queue from somebody who needs a test," Mr Perrottet said.

"We just don't believe that the requirement of a PCR test for somebody who is not unwell is actually supportive of that view.

"The best thing we can do as a country is to ensure that those states that will have more pressure on the system, and that's at the moment New South Wales and Victoria, that we get those tests done as quickly as possible."

A fire has destroyed a Taranaki meat processing plant which required 40 fire crew to stop the blaze. The plant, Taranaki By-Products on Kohiti Rd in Okaiawa near Hāwera, first caught fire around 11am today. The fire was well-alight…

Members of the rugby league community on both sides of the Tasman are in mourning after the death of a widely-respected former New Zealand-born player in Brisbane.Sulamai Aukuso Lavea (Sorbs) passed away from a heart attack on Saturday…

Police are trying to locate a person following a “serious incident” in Mount Maunganui.The incident took place in the Bedford Pl area around 11.30am, with police saying there were concerns for the welfare of an individual.As a…

There have been 126 new community cases – and seven Omicron cases in MIQ – over the past two days, the Ministry of Health says.Community cases include 88 in Auckland, 17 in Waikato, 6 in Bay of Plenty, 13 in Lakes, and one each…

Police believe the body of a missing fisherman has been found off the Coromandel coastline after he went missing on Friday. The body was discovered south of Kennedy Bay near Whangapoua by a Coastguard fixed-wing plane about 5.40pm…

Covid doesn’t take the summer off, so for Kiwis on holiday across Aotearoa there’s still a risk of contracting the virus. If you start to feel unwell or have been exposed to a Covid-19 case, the Ministry of Health advice is to stay…

Sydney testing clinics are in "meltdown" as multiple sites close for the public holiday despite COVID-19 cases surging.

Mayor of Randwick Dylan Parker claims multiple drive-through clinics were closed in Randwick and the Prince of Wales Hospital was no longer accepting walk-ins on Christmas Day.

"Hundreds of people waiting in line for several hours with multiple drive-throughs shut," Councillor Parker said in a Facebook post.

READ MORE: Sydney toll prices set to increase on New Year's Day

"Reportedly now Prince of Wales hospital is no longer accepting walk-ins as the line is too long."

A number of testing clinics across Sydney were closed due to Christmas Day being a public holiday, including Heffron Park drive-through clinic in Randwick.

"Council allowed these centres to operate seven days a week and on public holidays for as long as it takes," Councillor Parker said.

Councillor Parker told Today that the surge in testing numbers was "totally foreseeable" and added healthcare workers need help to meet the demand.

"It is not the fault of dedicated and passionate healthcare workers who are working and the clock and are doing a phenomenal job," he said.

"This was totally foreseeable that if you shut local clinics, people are going to run into even fewer areas in order to get the test done and they are waiting all day."

Councillor Parker said he knew someone who showed up at a testing clinic at 8.30am on Christmas Day and didn't leave until 4pm.

"They are doing the right thing, they are not spending time with friends and family. Just not good enough," he said.

The reason for the long queues is clinics operating on reduced hours, Councillor Parker added.

"It is frustrating because the system was working. We have had major outbreaks before and it was smooth," he said.

"The difference is that some of these clinics are operating on reduced hours."

A spokesperson for South Eastern Sydney Local Health District said the Prince of Wales Hospital COVID-19 testing clinic does not turn away people who present for COVID-19 testing.

"Like many testing clinics across the Sydney metropolitan area, the Prince of Wales Hospital testing clinic experienced a very high demand for COVID-19 testing on Christmas Day," the spokesperson said.

"NSW Health advises people to get tested for COVID-19 if they have symptoms, even if only mild, and to self-isolate until they receive a negative result.

"This public health advice applies to everyone, even people who are fully or partially vaccinated."

READ MORE: This $13 billion space telescope will reveal the secrets of the universe

COVID-19 clinics across Sydney saw a surge in patients looking to get tested on Christmas Day.

Testing sites that remained open on the public holiday were inundated by patients.

Some people waited more than five hours to get tested.

There was a kilometres long queue at North Ryde by 8am on Saturday morning, adding up to a three-hour wait.

Almost every day last week, long lines were spotted across Sydney due to both the surge in COVID-19 cases and the PCR testing requirement for interstate travel.

READ MORE: Search for swimmer missing in NSW dam on Christmas Day

Almost 150,000 people braved the testing lines on Friday as COVID-19 cases continued to surge.

NSW cases topped 6000 yesterday, recording 6288 new infections on Christmas Day.

British police arrested a man armed with a weapon on the grounds of Windsor Castle on Saturday.

Thames Valley police said the security breach took place at 8.30am on Christmas Day.

The 19-year-old from Southampton is in custody.

READ MORE: This $13 billion space telescope will reveal the secrets of the universe

“The man has been arrested on suspicion of breach or trespass of a protected site and possession of an offensive weapon. He remains in custody at this time,’’ Thames Valley Police Superintendent Rebecca Mears said.

“We can confirm security processes were triggered within moments of the man entering the grounds and he did not enter any buildings."

Members of the royal family have been informed.

READ MORE: Queen Elizabeth delivers Christmas message tinged with sadness after Prince Philip's death

Queen Elizabeth II is spending the Christmas holidays at Windsor, having decided not to stay at Sandringham, the royal estate in eastern England where she traditionally spends the festive season with family.

Queen Elizabeth delivered a particularly poignant Christmas message yesterday, devoting her annual address to the legacy of Prince Philip, who died in April.

From the grounds of Windsor castle where Queen Elizabeth is spending her first festive season without Philip, the 95-year-old monarch delivered a Christmas message tinged with sadness.