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Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews has been released from hospital and will begin a "significant" period of rehabilitation after a "long, painful week".

Mr Andrews was last week moved from intensive care into a ward at The Alfred hospital after fracturing his T7 vertebrae and breaking multiple ribs when he fell on wet stars.

"I landed flat on my back and hit the steps hard directly below the shoulder blades fracturing at least five ribs and sustaining an acute compression fracture of the T7 vertebra," the premier said in a statement today.

"I narrowly avoided permanent damage to my spinal cord.

READ MORE: Premier Daniel Andrews 'up and about' in good spirits after 'nasty fall'

https://twitter.com/DanielAndrewsMP/status/1371007304372342791

"These are serious injuries that require me to wear a brace throughout each day except when sleeping.

"My doctors also want me to get rest and undertake a comprehensive program of physiotherapy.

"That's why I will take a leave of absence from my duties for at least six weeks."

Mr Andrews had been getting ready for work at a holiday home on the Mornington Peninsula last week when he slipped.

This afternoon he thanked ambulance workers and hospital staff for their care.

"I want to make special mention of the Ambulance Victoria paramedics, the entire team of staff at Peninsula Private and Alfred Health from trauma specialists to spinal surgeons, cooks and cleaners and everyone in between," he said.

"I'm grateful to be a Victorian patient and proud of our Victorian health system."

Mr Andrews said he needed time to recover properly after a stern warning from the medical team.

"It's important that I take this rest and recovery seriously," he said.

"As one trauma specialist said to Cath and I last week, 'you very narrowly avoided a life-changing injury, you should buy a Tattslotto ticket, you are very lucky to be here in one piece'.

"I'm not sure about the Tattslotto ticket but I'm certain that with rest, continued high quality care and the support of family, friends, colleagues and the Victorian community, I'll be back doing the job I love as soon as possible."

The Alfred's director of trauma services Professor Mark Fitzgerald said the team of specialists caring for Mr Andrews were "pleased" with his progress, however the premier had a long road to recovery ahead.

"Mr Andrews has responded well without surgery so far, and the work to improve his strength and mobility must now begin," he said.

"As the rehabilitation journey gets underway, we will watch closely for any signs of worsening spinal stability or alignment, as well as the development of other complications."

Professor Fitzgerald said a spinal injury of this nature would not necessarily require surgery.

"When upright, a brace is worn to stabilise the spine, maintain alignment, and help to control pain. Physiotherapy treatment is key at this time," he said.

"Any deterioration may lead to a need for surgery down the track, however we are gradually progressing in the right direction at this time."

Mr Andrews last week said it was "good to get out of ICU", sharing a photo of himself in a ward.

"Thanks for all your messages and well wishes. It really means a lot," he added.

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Papua New Guinea's surging COVID-19 cases present "a real risk" to Australia and require an urgent response, Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk has warned.

The Queensland Government confirmed today two of its six new coronavirus cases that were all in hotel quarantine stemmed from PNG.

Ms Palaszczuk said she will be holding talks with Prime Minister Scott Morrison's office about the unfolding situation, and the potential for the Federal Government to step up its assistance to the pandemic-stricken nation.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about the different coronavirus strains

Australia along with the US, Japan and India has given millions of dollars to support health efforts in PNG and other Pacific countries.

"I think, it's a serious situation up there, so I think we need to look at what is our coordinated response," Ms Palaszczuk said.

"I think there is an issue for the Federal Government, I understand that they are providing some assistance into Papua New Guinea, but maybe we need to look at a vaccine rollout program there as well."

"It is right on our doorstep and it is a real risk, and as you know that is why we are getting our Indigenous and Torres Strait Islanders vaccinated as quickly as possible."

As of yesterday, there had been 1,819 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 21 deaths in PNG, according to the World Health Organisation.

Reported testing rates in PNG remain disturbingly low. Only 55,000 tests have been recorded from an estimated population of nine million people.

EXPLAINED: When will I be eligible to receive the coronavirus vaccine?

Health experts said such low testing numbers make it hard to establish the full extent of the virus.

And there is concern PNG hospitals and frontline health services are unable to cope with the estimated thousands of cases centred around the capital of Port Moresby.

Queensland Health Minister Yvette D'Ath has confirmed that two of the six new coronavirus cases detected in quarantine originated in PNG.

She said the two positive cases arrived in Queensland on charter flights from the country.

READ MORE: When the coronavirus supplement will end

Ms D'Ath said she is in talks with the Federal Government about the future of the flights.

"I will be reaching out to (Federal Health Minister) Greg Hunt. One, to verify that the charter flights are still going to be suspended and what the timeframe for that is."

Australians could have access to a three-way travel bubble with Singapore and New Zealand by the middle of the year, with Fiji also keen to join.

Speaking on Today, Minister for Trade and Tourism Dan Tehan said he would be involved in key discussions with Singapore counterparts in the coming months.

Other Pacific nations, such as Fiji, could potentially be brought into the mix.

READ MORE: What needs to happen for international travel to resume

Mr Tehan said nations agreeing on a digital coronavirus vaccination travel passport, particularly how it was logistically deployed and managed at borders, was pivotal to the arrangement.

"One of the keys is making sure that we can get that vaccine passport validated," Mr Tehan said.

"That will enable that two-way travel to occur, hopefully without quarantining down the track."

"What we need to do is get people moving again [and with] the confidence to travel."

Singaporean authorities were known to be "interested" in joining and expanding the Trans-Tasman bubble.

Mr Tehan said he was "optimistic that we might be able to get something up and running by the middle of the year."

READ MORE: How to get your half-price flight and what destinations will count

Singapore was progressing well with its vaccine roll-out, Mr Tehan said, as was Australia.

Australia has had a travel bubble with New Zealand since the end of the year, although coronavirus flare ups have seen it paused at various times.

However, the Trans-Tasman bubble is not an even two-way street.

New Zealanders can travel freely into most Australian states, but Australians must quarantine for two weeks across the ditch.

Large crowds swarmed inside Parliament Square in London last night as calls for the Met Police chief to resign grow over the force's handling of a vigil for Sarah Everard.

The crowd, numbering more than a thousand people, called for the resignation of Met commissioner Cressida Dick and the scrapping of the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill.

On Saturday (local time), Met police officers drew criticism for handcuffing women and removing them from crowds on Clapham Common.

READ MORE: UK policeman charged with Sarah Everard's murder

Thousands gathered throughout the day on Clapham Common, and the police were accused by some of heavy-handed action.

Dame Dick today declared she was not considering her position and was "determined" to keep leading the Met.

She defended how her officers had policed a "really big crowd".

READ MORE: London police tactics at vigil draw scrutiny

"Quite rightly, as far as I can see, my team felt that this is now an unlawful gathering which poses a considerable risk to people's health," she said.

"I don't think anybody who was not in the operation can actually pass a detailed comment on the rightness and wrongness… This is fiendishly difficult policing.

"What has happened makes me more determined, not less, to lead my organisation."

During Sunday night's gathering, police kept their distance from Ms Everard supporters.

People observed a minute's silence was in memory of Ms Everard, 33, whose body was found in woodland in Kent.

A serving Met officer has been charged with her murder.

The names of women killed by their partners, or those who have died in UK prisons, were also read out during the vigil.

The police, crime, sentencing and courts bill was also a focal point, which people chanted their opposition.

The bill is set to be debated in parliament tomorrow with critics worried it will grant greater powers to limit the right to protest.

Ms Everard disappeared while walking home from a friend's apartment at about 10.30pm and was found dead a week later.

The slaying sent shockwaves across the UK because a Metropolitan Police officer is charged with her kidnapping and murder.

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