This Christmas will be extra special for the Grayson family- because their baby will celebrate his first Christmas out of hospital.

Until a few weeks ago, little Dominic had never left Randwick Children's Hospital in Sydney.

Now his parents – Amanda and Kyle Grayson – are expecting him to finally be well enough for a festive day with his family.

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"We'll probably have a nice lunch with everything, he's never heard carolling or anything so we'll probably sing, it'll be a huge new experience for him," Mrs Grayson told 9news.com.au.

"It'll be our first proper Christmas being able to spend it with family, not being actually in hospital.

"It's a huge deal."

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As reported by 9News, the 15-month-old tot was born with some of his organs on the outside of his body.

It's called giant omphalocele.

According to Boston Children's hospital in the US, cases as severe as Dominic's impact as few as one in 10,000 babies, while less complex forms are more common.

Dominic was put into a special plastic bag after being delivered by Caesarean.

It was a rare birth defect. His stomach, bowel and liver – and possibly some of his other organs – were all outside his body.

He needed a special ventilator to keep him alive, and even now he is still unable to have surgery to put his organs inside his body.

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However, a few weeks ago he reached a special milestone.

He has been able to move to a hospital closer to the NSW Central Coast family's home after living for his whole life at the Randwick hospital.

He is even allowed to leave Gosford Hospital for day visits to the family home in Gwandalan, New South Wales.

"It was surreal," Mrs Grayson, said.

"My dad came to visit, and Kyle's mum came which was really nice.

"He got to see the cat and the dog for the first time."

It also meant Mrs Grayson was able to sleep in her own bed for the first time in over a year.

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She had been staying at charity Ronald McDonald House, in Sydney which provides free accommodation for families of sick children, close to the hospital.

"It's really nice, lovely to be able to sleep in my own bed," she said.

The family is hoping Dominic will be able to go home for good in the New Year, once they've arranged carers and equipment they need, though will still need to return to Sydney often for appointments.

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They're planning to get Dominic something musical to unwrap on Christmas morning – as he loves his toy guitar.

He's has also shown a keen interest in computer games, like many other little boys.

Ronald McDonald House Charities has a Santa for Sick Kids appeal.

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It costs $160 to put a family up for a night.

Ronald McDonald House Charities Sydney CEO, Simone Daher said: "When a family has a child that requires long term hospital treatment, not only does it impact them emotionally, but also financially.

"When they are staying with us, we like to make sure that Christmas is a special time for the whole family.

"By supporting our Christmas appeal, you are helping relieve the burden and stress and supporting the creation of special memories for these families."

A patient in their 50s has died with Covid-19, the Ministry of Health has confirmed.The patient, who was admitted to North Shore Hospital on December 11, becomes New Zealand’s 49th death from the disease.As the country heads into…

Australians will be able to get their COVID-19 vaccine booster shots after four months from early next year, and then three months from the end of January.

Health Minister Greg Hunt said the changes, based on ATAGI advice, will come into effect from January 4.

"The planning behind that is it will open up a new cohort," Mr Hunt said.

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"Approximately 7.5 million people will become eligible on the fourth of January."

From January 31, the timeframe will be shorted even further to three months.

The interval had already been shortened from six months to five.

ATAGI, Australia's medical body, said there was "strong evidence" boosters would help increase protection against infection with the Omicron variant.

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It said superspreading events in NSW such as the outbreak in bars and clubs in Newcastle indicated two doses "did not provide any significant protection" against Omicron.

It said it made the changes as the pandemic had "significantly changed in recent weeks".

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"Strong evidence has accumulated over the past two weeks to indicate that booster doses of COVID-19 vaccines are likely to increase protection against infection with the Omicron variant," ATAGI said in a statement.

"Although some early data suggest that the risk of hospitalisation due to disease caused by the Omicron variant is lower than that with the Delta variant, this difference would not be enough to offset the impact of high case numbers on the health system."

Third vaccine doses will be prioritised with preference placed on people who have the bigger gap in time between doses, and the immunocompromised.

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Australia's Chief Medical Officer, Professor Paul Kelly, also said concerns around Omicron's transmissibility fuelled the changes.

"What we're seeing in other parts of the world is a doubling rate of cases every two or three days, and that is what we are seeing here," Professor Kelly said.

"We're not seeing that increase in hospitalisation or ICU.

"Make that booking in the New Year to get that booster if you're becoming eligible. If you're eligible now, don't hesitate."

"While this is a more transmissible disease it does appear to be less severe," Mr Hunt added.

"We're taking these precautions to add extra protection for Australians and to help them stay ahead of the curve."

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ATAGI has given individual jurisdictions power to move forward with their planning if they have the capacity, as long as they don't impact more eligible citizens.

"As an example, I spoke to the Premier of South Australia last night," Mr Hunt said.

"He believes they have very strong capacity, so ATAGI has given the jurisdiction freedom to move forward."

Mr Hunt explained dates have been moved forward "out of an abundance of caution" as Omicron spreads.

"The protection as it is very strong against severe illness, but what we will see is a much stronger protection against transmission," he said.

Mr Hunt said there's ample vaccine supply because the government has prepared for possible fourth and fifth booster shots, though medics had already warned of a distribution "bottleneck".

"We have 20 million vaccines that are in the country now," he said.

"More than five million are in the field on the basis of orders."

In addition, 60 million Pfizer doses and 15 million Moderna have been ordered for 2022, as well as an extra 51 million doses of Novavax, which still needs TGA approval.

"We're anticipating there may need to be third and a fourth dose and indeed there is enough with those figures for five doses," Mr Hunt said.

"We're in a fortunate position… whether a fourth or fifth dose is required we just provisioned on the absolute highest-need, worst-case scenario."

The oldest family tree in the world has been reconstructed through the analysis of ancient DNA taken from a Stone Age tomb in Britain, according to a new study published on Wednesday.

Researchers extracted DNA from the bones and teeth of 35 individuals buried at Hazleton North long cairn in the Cotswolds-Severn region in England. They found 27 of them were close biological relatives and were from five continuous generations of a single extended family.

The group lived around 3700-3600 BC — approximately 5,700 years ago. Researchers discovered that most of those buried in the tomb were descended from four women who had children with the same man.

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Archaeologists and geneticists from institutions around the world — including Newcastle University in England, the University of the Basque Country in Spain, the University of Vienna in Austria, and Harvard University in the US — were involved in the research.

The study, published in the journal Nature, is significant for revealing in great detail how prehistoric families were structured, researchers said.

The findings provide fascinating new insights into kinship and burial practices during Neolithic times — the latest period of the Stone Age.

Iñigo Olalde of the University of the Basque Country and Ikerbasque, the lead geneticist and co-author of the study, said in a statement: "The excellent DNA preservation at the tomb and the use of the latest technologies in ancient DNA recovery and analysis allowed us to uncover the oldest family tree ever reconstructed and analyse it to understand something profound about the social structure of these ancient groups."

Researchers found people were buried in the two L-shaped chambered areas at Hazleton North. The chambers were located north and south of the centre or "spine" of the structure.

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Men were generally buried with their father and brothers, suggesting descent was patrilineal, as the later generations buried at the tomb were connected to the earlier generations buried there entirely through male relatives.

Two of the daughters in the family tree who died in childhood were also buried in the tomb but the team found a total absence of adult daughters, suggesting their remains were either placed in the tombs of male partners they would have had children with or buried elsewhere entirely.

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According to the study, the right to use the tomb ran through patrilineal lines — but the choice on whether individuals were buried in the north or south chambered area depended on the first-generation women they were descended from.

This suggests that these first-generation women were socially significant in the memories of the community in Hazleton North and helps to shed some light on Neolithic kinship and the significance of family lines in Stone Age burial practices, researchers said.

David Reich, a professor of genetics at Harvard University who was involved in the research, said: "This study reflects what I think is the future of ancient DNA: one in which archaeologists are able to apply ancient DNA analysis at sufficiently high resolution to address the questions that truly matter to archaeologists."

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A new app launched late last year saw crocodile reports skyrocket in northern Queensland during 2021, helping visitors and locals stay safe around the water.

The Department of Environment and Science (DES) received 1146 reports of saltwater crocodile sightings in 2021 — up from 616 in 2020.

"This is the highest number of reports since results were first collected in 2009," DES director northern wildlife operations Lindsay Delzoppo said.

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He attributed the rise in part due to the "remarkable update" of the QWildlife app, which launched last November.

"The QWildlife app has been highly popular in 'croc country', with many people also submitting photos or videos with their reports when using the app on their smartphones or tablets," he said.

"The QWildlife app also allows people living in or visiting croc country to find out where there have been sightings and the locations where any 'problem crocodiles' have been declared within the previous 30 days."

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But Mr Delzoppo warned that just because a location had not been marked down on the app, it was not necessarily safe.

"Crocodiles are highly mobile and may turn up in any waterway in croc country at any time, even if they haven't been seen there before," he said.

But he also said the increase in reports "does not necessarily" correlate with an increase in crocodile populations.

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"This is because more than one person could report the same crocodile, and it is now much easier for the public to report sightings via the QWildlife app," Mr Delzoppo said.

"The growth in residential development in known crocodile habitat also means there are more people to make these reports."

Mr Delzoppo said thousands of Queenslanders and interstate visitors are expected to spend the Christmas holidays season near waterways in croc country.

"Remember, you are responsible for your own safety in croc country, which begins at the Boyne River south of Gladstone, and extends up the east coast and across far north Queensland," he said.

"I encourage people who are travelling to croc country over the Christmas holidays to download the QWildlife app in advance and familiarise yourself with it."

The QWildlife app can be downloaded on iPhones and Android devices. The app can also be accessed from the DES website.

Members of the public can report crocodile sightings (and should do so as soon as possible) by entering the details to the QWildlife app or by calling 1300 130 372.

How to stay CrocWise

• Expect crocodiles in all central, north and far-north Queensland waterways even if there is no warning sign
• Obey all warning signs
• Be aware crocs also swim in the ocean and be extra cautious around water at night
• Stay well away from croc traps, including when fishing and boating
• The smaller the vessel, the greater the risk, so avoid using canoes and kayaks
• Stand back from the water's edge when fishing and don't wade in to retrieve a lure
• Camp at least 50 metres from the edge of the water
• Never leave food, fish scraps or bait near the water's edge, at campsites or at boat ramps
• Never provoke, harass or feed crocs
• Always supervise children near the water and keep pets on a lead

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