With COVID-19 figures showing children and teenagers are increasingly bearing the brunt of Australia's third wave, questions are being raised about how soon kids might be included in the country's vaccination rollout.

According to NSW Health statistics, there have been more than double the amount of COVID-19 cases in patients aged zero to 19 years old than the next highest age bracket over the past seven weeks.

Speaking at today's press conference, NSW Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said a key feature of the Delta strain of COVID-19 was its ability to spread among children. 

READ MORE: Playground transmission investigated as children COVID-19 cases spike

"We're also seeing outbreaks in childcare centres and that's a feature we haven't seen in previous outbreaks," Dr Chant said.  

"Because the Delta strain seems to be able to transmit more in the childhood setting." 

The trend has also been apparent in Victoria where of the 246 active cases of COVID-19, 56 infections are in children under nine years old.

There are also 55 cases in the 10 and 19 age bracket.

Victoria's COVID-19 Response Commander Jeroen Weimar said a number of the children were grade 2, 3 and 4 students.

READ MORE: NSW following similar path to Melbourne last year

The worry and strain parents are facing about Delta was brought into sharp focus today as Australian Capital Territory Senator Katy Gallagher shared the news her 14-year-old daughter Evie had tested positive to the virus.

The federal Labor senator took to social media to say Evie was "feeling pretty unwell and understandably worried about what this means for her and for the rest of her family". 

"Here I sit tonight, where after doing everything right for 18 months, like millions of other families right around Australia – I am left with my children completely vulnerable to COVID-19," she added.

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Why are more children getting infected with Delta?

While the trend has been made clear both in Australia and overseas that more children are getting infected with COVID-19, it is yet to be proven why this is the case.

One logical reason more children and teenagers are getting infected is because they have by far the lowest rates of vaccination.

NSW Health figures show 25 percent of 15-29-year-olds have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared to 78 percent of 70-79-year-olds.

But the question is, has the Delta strain been targeting children in particular?

The World Health Organisation doesn't believe there is enough evidence to suggest this.

"Let me be very clear: we are not seeing the Delta variant specifically target children," WHO's COVID-19 technical lead Maria Van Kerkhove said at a press conference a few weeks ago.

"There was some suggestion that the variants were specifically targeting children, but that actually is not the case. What we are seeing is that the variants will target those who are socially mixing," Van Kerkhove said.

"What we do see is that the variants that are circulating will infect people if they are not taking the proper precautions," she said, referring to measures such as physical distancing and avoiding gathering in poorly-ventilated, crowded indoor spaces.

Can children get vaccinated in Australia?

No children under 12 are able to get vaccinated in Australia yet.

The Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation has just recently approved the Pfizer vaccine for vulnerable children aged 12 to 15, including those with underlying health conditions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children.

The group has flagged it will look at expanding eligibility to all 12 to 15-year-olds within the next two months.

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) has approved the Pfizer vaccine for use in everyone aged 16 and over.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison was asked about the issue of vaccines for children in a press conference today.

Mr Morrison said expanding access to the Pfizer vaccine for 12- to 15-year-olds was something that was being worked through.

"This is a matter that we have dealt with regularly both at national cabinet in terms of the state-based systems for potential school-based vaccination programs and the work is already underway on how that could be done," Mr Morrison said.

"It's not too far away, is my understanding, but equally we're talking about the vaccination of our kids and I want to be very sure about the medical advice we're getting about that."

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A man who claimed he was taking the garbage bins out when he was supposed to be isolating was handed one of more than 700 fines by NSW Police in the last 24 hours.

NSW Police has issued 736 coronavirus-related infringements in the past day, 448 of which were to people outside their homes without a good reason.

The Padstow man who told police he was taking the rubbish out when officers called him was fined $5000.

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Also among those penalised were five people from Sydney working on a construction site in Kiama.

Police went to an address in Kiama on Monday after receiving information about workers allegedly from Sydney staying on the South Coast.

Officers spoke to the occupants at a property on North Kiama Drive who were part of a construction team, building a unit complex on Collins Street, Kiama.

The next day police went to the worksite and saw a number of the workers flee to a nearby car park.

READ MORE: NSW records 633 new local cases of COVID-19

They found 33 employees and spoke to the project manager.

Following inquiries, five of the men were identified as being from Local Government Areas of concern in Sydney.

Inquiries are continuing into further potential breaches.

The building company said in a statement it was working with police.

"As you are aware, this matter is under investigation by the police and as such we cannot provide any commentary at this time," the statement said.

"We can confirm we are co-operating with the investigation and have provided all information required to the police."

Coles Group has reported a full-year profit of $1.01 billion, up more than seven per cent despite COVID-19 lockdowns impacting shopping centres around the country.

Releasing its annual financial report today, the supermarket giant reported a 3.1 per cent lift in sales revenue to $38.6 billion and a lift in online sales to $2.1 billion.

The supermarket said the impressive headline figures came despite the business weathering eleven separate state lockdowns during the financial year.

READ MORE: 'Get security on the door': Supermarkets urged to step up

"Conditions in the early part of the first quarter remain volatile as outbreaks of the COVID-19 Delta variant have led to multiple lockdowns across the country," the group noted in its outlook for FY22.

"As the number of snap lockdowns increased, and the New South Wales lockdown was extended, 'local shopping' trends have re-emerged with eCommerce and neighbourhood stores outperforming shopping centre and CBD locations."

CEO of Coles Group Steven Cain thanked his employees and contractors, and highlighted working with government to provide access to priority vaccines for workers in critical areas.

"In another year of COVID-19, floods and bushfires, I would like to thank our team members, suppliers and community partners for their resilience and support to ensure the security of food supply and a safe environment for our customers," Mr Cain said.

"Whilst the COVID-19 Delta variant is presenting some new challenges, I would like to thank all levels of government for continuing to work with us to help keep our customers, team members and community safe, including by providing priority access to vaccines in some critical areas."

READ MORE: Supermarket giants in new war over sustainability

Looking forward the supermarket juggernaut predicted that the current roll out of the vaccination program will result in "fewer lockdowns" and will "normalise consumer behaviour" in 2022.

"During FY22 Coles will be cycling the sales and cost impacts of COVID-19 across all segments, particularly the extended hard lockdown in Victoria during most of H1 FY21," the Group said in its outlook.

"We now expect the roll out of the vaccination program and in turn fewer lockdowns to support normalising consumer behaviours in calendar year 2022."

READ MORE: Woolworths, Coles to change make-up range after thousands of women sign petition

Coles declared a fully-franked final dividend of 28 cents per share.

At the time of publishing Coles Group was down marginally (0.33 per cent) on the ASX 200.

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An aid worker heading up the Red Cross mission in Afghanistan has pleaded with countries to help, saying agencies face a "dire" situation.

Necephor Mghendi, delegation head for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the resurgence of the Taliban had exacerbated a humanitarian crisis Afghanistan had been in for "many, many years".

He said the worst drought in decades was already gripping the country, leading to a wheat shortfall that has caused malnutrition in children.

READ MORE: Former British soldier lashes US and UK over Afghanistan withdrawal chaos

It's estimated about 11 million Afghans do not have enough food.

Mr Mghendi warned the armed conflict and Taliban takeover would cause "displacement" as people fled villages and towns that have been overrun by the Taliban.

He said the agency had recently issued a public plea for $US15 million ($20.6 million) to combat problems associated with the drought, but just 9 per cent of that had been raised. He warned dealing with the displacement issue alone would cost tens of millions of dollars.

"We have millions of people going without food because of drought, we have effects of COVID-19 which has been impacting the country," he told 9News.

Speaking from Kuala Lumpur, he said he was returning because "this is the job we do. 

"We don't run towards the disaster, we run to support people in need," he said.

"We have people who worry when they are going to get their next meal. We have people concerned about safety. Those are the fears and issues Afghans face everyday."