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Millions in Brisbane will learn today if enough has been done to control the outbreak of coronavirus and end the snap lockdown after three days as planned.

Authorities are hopeful they have contained the spread of the virus after only two new cases of community transmission were revealed on Wednesday.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk will make the announcement this morning. Unless there are new infections not linked to the two existing clusters, it's expected the lockdown on greater Brisbane will be lifted at 5pm.

READ MORE: NSW restrictions return after new Byron Bay case

"Fingers crossed all will be looking good for Easter," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"If we see very good testing rates across Queensland and we don't see any unlinked community transmission, the signs for Easter are looking positive."

There were 33,400 coronavirus tests in the 24 hours to Wednesday.

The two new cases were a nurse at the Princess Alexandra Hospital who had already received her first vaccination, but not early enough to have developed any immunity, and a housemate.

Tests have established a direct link and confirmed the nurse was infected by the same patient who passed it onto the first infected nurse.

"It is exactly the same as the genome sequences for that second cluster related to the nurse and her friends," Dr Jeannette Young said.

READ MORE: Hospital at centre of Brisbane outbreak orders staff to quarantine

In another blow to the Princess Alexandra Hospital, which remains in lockdown, a "large number" of staff have been asked to self-isolate over fears of spreading the virus.

Queensland Health emailed workers on Wednesday advising staff who had entered ward 5D for any length of time between 8pm on March 23 and midday on March 26 would be "requiring quarantine", even if they had no "specific contact with individual patients".

"I realise this will be extremely disruptive to clinical services and no doubt we need to cancel some clinical activities," the email said.

Virus spreads south of the border

The NSW North Coast remains on high alert, with health warnings issued for more venues in Byron Bay, Ballina, Lennox Head and Suffolk Park after a local man tested positive for COVID-19.

NSW Health on Wednesday declared all retail and takeaway shops in most of downtown Byron Bay were an exposure site on Saturday afternoon.

Speaking to Today on Wednesday, Byron Shire Council Mayor Simon Richardson said it had been a "worrying" few days as the region anxiously waited to see if cases would emerge.

"After all we've gone through to get to the Easter holidays and now to have this uncertainty hanging over our head – it's a really worrying couple of days," he said.

The new case prompted the cancellation of the popular Bluesfest music festival this weekend.

The shires of Byron, Ballina, Tweed and Lismore will be on "extra high alert" and subject to restrictions until the end of Easter.

Pfizer has announced its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and strongly protective in children as young as 12.

Most COVID-19 vaccines being rolled out worldwide are for adults, who are at higher risk from the coronavirus. Australia's Therapeutic Goods Administration has granted Pfizer's vaccine provisional approval for ages 16 and older.

But vaccinating children of all ages will be critical to stopping the pandemic — and helping schools around the world, at least the upper grades, start to look a little more normal after months of disruption.

READ MORE: Hunt back states despite complaints of 'offensive' remarks

In a study of 2260 US volunteers aged 12 to 15, preliminary data showed there were no cases of COVID-19 among fully vaccinated adolescents compared to 18 among those given dummy shots, Pfizer reported.

It's a small study, which hasn't yet been published, so another important piece of evidence is how well the shots revved up the children’s immune systems.

Researchers reported high levels of virus-fighting antibodies, somewhat higher than were seen in studies of young adults.

Children had side effects similar to young adults, the company said, mainly pain, fever, chills and fatigue, particularly after the second dose.

The study will continue to track participants for two years for more information about long-term protection and safety.

Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech in the coming weeks plan to ask the US Food and Drug Administration and European regulators to allow emergency use of the shots starting at age 12.

“We share the urgency to expand the use of our vaccine,” Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said in a statement.

He expressed “the hope of starting to vaccinate this age group before the start of the next school year" in the United States.

Pfizer isn’t the only company seeking to lower the age limit for its vaccine.

Results are expected soon from a US study of Moderna’s vaccine in 12- to 17-year-olds.

But in a sign the findings were promising, the FDA already allowed both companies to begin U.S. studies in children 11 and younger, working their way to as young as 6 months old.

AstraZeneca last month began a study of its vaccine among 6- to 17-year-olds in Britain. Johnson & Johnson is planning its own pediatric studies.

In China, Sinovac recently announced it had submitted preliminary data to Chinese regulators showing its vaccine was safe in children as young as 3.

While most COVID-19 vaccines being used globally were first tested in tens of thousands of adults, pediatric studies won’t need to be nearly as large.

Scientists have safety information from those studies and from subsequent vaccinations in millions more adults.

One key question is the dosage: Pfizer gave the 12-and-older participants the same dose adults receive, while testing different doses in younger children.

It's not clear how quickly the FDA will act on Pfizer's request to allow vaccination starting at age 12.

Another question is when the US will have enough supply — and people to get the shots into adolescents' arms — to let kids start getting in line.

Supplies are set to steadily increase over the spring and summer, at the same time states are opening vaccinations to younger, healthier adults who until now haven't had a turn.

Children represent about 13 per cent of COVID-19 cases documented in the US.

While children are far less likely than adults to get seriously ill, at least 268 have died from COVID-19 in the US alone and more than 13,500 have been hospitalised, according to a tally by the American Academy of Pediatrics.

That’s more than die from the flu in an average year. Additionally, a small number have developed a serious inflammatory condition linked to the coronavirus.

Caleb Chung, who turns 13 later this week, agreed to volunteer for the trial after his father, a Duke University pediatrician, presented the option. He doesn't know if he received the vaccine or a placebo.

“Usually I’m just at home doing online school and there’s not much I can really do to fight back against the virus,” Caleb said in a recent interview.

The study “was really somewhere that I could actually help out.”

His father, Dr Richard Chung, said he was proud of his son and all the other children volunteering for the needle pricks, blood tests and other tasks a study entails.

“We need kids to do these trials so that kids can get protected. Adults can’t do that for them,” Chung said.

A British microbiologist who became a household name by giving expert advice during the Covid-19 pandemic has been named the 2021 Kiwibank New Zealander of the Year – TePou Whakarae o Aotearoa.Renowned microbiologist and science…

A woman is accused of conducting hundreds of internet searches about "how to commit murder" before her farmer boyfriend was allegedly poisoned.

Natasha Beth Darcy has pleaded not guilty to the murder of her then-partner Mathew John Dunbar in August 2017.

The Supreme Court jury were told today they would be presented evidence that the 46-year-old carried out online searches ranging from poisonous mushrooms to lethal injections before he was found dead in his Tamworth home.

READ MORE: Tourism sector still whipped by long COVID tail as vaccine wait continues

The court heard other search terms included:

– "11 toxic wild plants that look like food"

– "How to commit murder"

– "99 undetectable poisons"

– "plastic bag suffocation"

– "how long after suicide is there a crime scene?"

– "will helium show up in an autopsy"

– "Can police see deleted text messages"

– "How would helium get tested by a coroner?"

In his opening address to the jury, Crown prosecutor Brett Hatfield said he would present evidence Ms Darcy stood to inherit Mr Dunbar's multi-million dollar Merino property "Pandora" and argued this was her motive to kill him.

He said Ms Darcy told a Triple-Zero operator she found Mathew dead, with a plastic bag over his head and a tube secured underneath which was hooked up to a tank of helium.

Coincidentally, the jury were told, Ms Darcy's estranged husband – Colin Crossman – was the first paramedic on the scene after Mr Dunbar was reported dead.

READ MORE: Hawkesbury River residents given all clear to return home after floods

The prosecution alleges that Mr Crossman had also received a text message from Mr Dunbar's phone – which the prosecution allege was written and sent by Ms Darcy.

According to the prosecution, the message "tell police to come to the house, I don't want Tash or the kids to find me" was sent at 1.14am on August 2, 2017.

At 2am, Ms Darcy used the same phone to call for help to the Thunderbolts Bay.

Ms Darcy allegedly told police she was shocked to find Mr Dunbar dead in his bedroom and had tried to resuscitate him.

"Rather than finding the deceased in those circumstances, he was in that condition because of the plan implemented by her to sedate him and kill him; this was not a suicide," Mr Hatfield said.

Mr Hatfield alleged Mr Dunbar had suffered depression and threatened to take his own life on a previous occasion.

"This was known to the accused and she exploited this and killed him in the manner she did to make it look like a suicide," Mr Hatfield said.

READ MORE: 'We're heartbroken': Byron Bay Bluesfest cancelled

Ms Darcy's defence barrister Janet Manuell SC told the jury her client had aided and abetted his suicide at his request following a history of depression and after a close friend and neighbour had taken his own life a few months earlier.

"Ms Darcy is innocent…you have not heard all the evidence yet," Ms Manuell said.

It is the Crown case Ms Darcy had a tendency to sedate her partners with the intent of causing harm for her own financial gain.

The jury heard that she is still legally married to Mr Crossman but the pair are separated.

The court also heard Mr Crossman was once smashed over the head in bed with a hammer.

Ms Darcy has admitted to this and also burning down the family home at Walcha in 2009.

It was alleged that Mr Crossman was asleep with a cocktail of drugs in his system after Ms Darcy had served him tacos for dinner.

The trial continues before Justice Julia Lonergan and is expected to run for up to eight weeks.

Readers seeking support and information about suicide prevention can contact Lifeline on 13 11 14.

Reorua is Rotorua’s largest bilingual campaign, as part of the With Us campaign that launched this month, encouraging locals and people around Aotearoa to experience Rotorua. Rotorua Economic Development marketing manager Haydn…

On the banks of the Hawkesbury River, Graeme Colless' turf farm is bathed in brown mud following the state's worst flooding in decades.

His Pitt Town property is home to the most precious blades of grass in Australian sport with the grass covering the Sydey Cricket Ground (SCG), Bankwest Stadium, Randwick Racecourse and a host of major golf courses all grown on farms like his.

This was before "the big wet" submerged the property in more than three metres of floodwater.

READ MORE: Hawkesbury residents given all clear to return home after floods

https://twitter.com/AirlieWalsh/status/1377107198849867781

"We've had a bit of devastation, but what are ya gonna do?" Mr Colless told 9News.

Once a "Field of Dreams" the root systems are simply disintegrating with no sunlight or air to keep the plants alive.

Now the rain has finally stopped, attention has turned to the massive job of cleaning-up two hundred acres of turf choked by soil and silt.

READ MORE: 'We're heartbroken': Byron Bay Bluesfest cancelled

"If we don't have grass, we don't have sport, racing, community sport, so grass means everything to us," Adam Lewis, SCG Curator told 9News.

Mr Colless estimates the once-in-a-hundred-year flood will set him back around half a million dollars.

"I've been in the industry 30 years mate we've got a lot of good friends in the industry, clients that have all come to help."

"We'll clean up and we'll go again," Mr Colless.

A "large number" of staff from the hospital at the centre of Brisbane's coronavirus outbreak have been asked to self-isolate, sparking fears of disruptions to services.

Queensland Health emailed workers at the Princess Alexandra Hospital today advising staff who had entered ward 5D for any length of time between 8pm on March 23 and 12pm on March 26 will be "requiring quarantine". 

"The staff do not need to have had any specific contact with individual patients," the statement said.

"I realise this will be extremely disruptive to clinical services and no doubt we need to cancel some clinical activities."

READ MORE: Everything we know about the two Queensland clusters

The email to staff comes as Queensland recorded two new local cases of COVID-19, both linked to existing clusters.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said today's case numbers were "very encouraging" and a decision on when Brisbane will exit its snap lockdown will be made tomorrow.

"Fingers crossed, all will be looking good for Easter," Ms Palaszczuk said."

https://twitter.com/TimArvier9/status/1377141641643876361

"But like I said, it depends on the testing rates again.

"So if we see very good testing rates across Queensland and we don't see any unlinked community transmission, the signs for Easter are looking positive."

Cases linked to nurse who went to Byron Bay

One of the new community cases is linked to the infected nurse from Princess Alexandra Hospital who visited Byron Bay.

"So it is another nurse at that PA COVID ward," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"My understanding is that she was vaccinated." 

Queensland Chief Health Officer Jeannette Young said genomic sequencing had confirmed the case could be linked back to the original infected nurse.

"I already have the genome sequence back for one of those two cases, and it is exactly the same as the genome sequences for that second cluster related to the nurse and her friends who were in that party, who went down to Byron Bay," Dr Young said. 

"We're now working through whether this second nurse in that cluster acquired it on the ward. 

"She does work on the ward and she was tested as part of the asymptomatic screening testing process for that ward and was found to be positive."

The second nurse has since developed some virus symptoms. 

READ MORE: NSW records one new locally acquired COVID-19 case linked to Byron Bay

The second local case announced today lives in the same household as one of the infected nurses.

"So it's household transmission, and we know that household transmission is our highest risk at the start of any outbreak," Dr Young said.

There are now 11 people linked to the cluster. 

A third case was identified in hotel quarantine and acquired the virus overseas.

All known cases now traced

Two cases previously under investigation, regarding their links to the two clusters, have now been confirmed as negative. 

"They're not cases, which means that we now have eight in that cluster, that first cluster related to the doctor who acquired the infection at the PA Hospital," Dr Young said.

"So those two clusters look like they've all been worked through and all of the cases are linked and we do not have any other cases out in the community anywhere in Queensland that are unlinked."

READ MORE: Coronavirus travel restrictions for Easter state by state

Palaszczuk hits back at vaccine rollout criticism

The premier refuted claims by federal leaders and health experts Queensland was "stockpiling" vaccine doses, with the state behind on its jab rollout target. 

"We are not stockpiling vaccines," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"We need to have guaranteed supply and we need to have guaranteed times of delivery." 

Ms Palaszczuk called for the Federal Government to release figures every day on the supply of vaccines, in order to ramp up the process. 

READ MORE: Queensland 'needs to pull their finger out', MP says

She suggested the rollout delay was partly due to the state ensuring there was enough supply for second doses. 

"What we needed to do is to make sure that we had enough for the second vaccine," she said. 

"If the Commonwealth can tell us what their supply is, we are more than happy to roll out the rest of that as quickly as possible. 

"But can you imagine what will happen if we do not have the second dosage for people who have had their first in the 12-week period."

Health minister tested for coronavirus

Queensland's Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has taken a COVID-19 test after coming down with a sore throat. 

"The health minister contacted me this morning to say she has a sore throat, so she has gone to get a COVID test," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"The health minister is following exactly her own advice and I encourage everyone else, if you have any symptoms as well, to please do the same and go and get a test."

Compliance with lockdown rules 'fantastic'

No fines have been issued for COVID-19 restriction breaches in the past 24 hours, Deputy Police Commissioner Steve Gollschewski said.

However, a young person was fined for failing to wear a mask on a train. 

"We have had one additional incident of a young person on a train who was a fare evader who didn't want to wear a mask, didn't comply and has been issued with a notice for failing to do so," he said. 

Overall, the levels of compliance across the state has been "fantastic", Mr Gollschewski said. 

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