Experts were surprised and mildly troubled by a poll that found 35 per cent of Kiwis are unlikely to get a Covid-19 vaccine immediately – but they expect the rate will improve across 2021. In particular, scientists told the Herald…

The price of bananas is expected to jump temporarily after Tropical Cyclone Niran caused an estimated $180 million in damage to Far North Queensland's crops.

Queensland is responsible for approximately 94 per cent of Australia's banana production, the majority of which is grown in Far North Queensland.

Economists and fruit sellers are forecasting a rise in the price of of the popular fruit after the wild weather levelled almost a third of the country's crops.

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"Shoppers should expect to see maybe 50c to $1 a kilo going up in price in the next coming weeks or months," consumer expert Gary Mortimer told 9News.

The Australian Banana Growers Association says other growers will pick up the slack for those impacted by the cyclone and the small price hike is only temporary, with shoppers encouraged to continue supporting the industry.

"Remember, 50c to $1 isn't a big hit when you consider what these farmers are facing, continue to support them, and buy up big," Mr Mortimer said.

After Tropical Cyclone Larry and Tropical Cyclone Yasi did significant damage to crops in 2006 and 2011 respectively, the price per kilo jumped by $2.

While Tropical Cyclone Niran didn't actually touch down in Australia, remaining hundreds of kilometres off the Queensland coast, the weather system associated with it struck hard last week.

Communities along the coast between Cape Melville and Innisfail saw wind gusts of around 100km per hour with areas including Cooktown, Port Douglas, and Cairns feeling the full impact.

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It is believed close to half of the 11,000 hectares of banana crops around North Queensland were damaged and the clean-up could take anywhere up to 12 months.

While prices at major supermarkets including Coles and Woolworths haven't yet been affected by the damage, this is expected to change in coming weeks.

France said it may follow Italy in blocking Covid-19 vaccine shipments as concerns about vaccine nationalism rise.

The comments by French Health Minister Olivier Véran came the day after Rome invoked European Union powers to block the export of 250,000 Covid-19 AstraZeneca vaccine doses to Australia, in a dramatic escalation of a dispute between the bloc and the drug giant.

"Of course, I understand what Italy did," Véran said during an interview with CNN affiliate BFM on Friday. "We could do the same thing."

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A spokesperson for Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi told CNN that Italy and the European Commission had agreed on the action.

This is the first time that such EU measures have been used for vaccines. AstraZeneca's supply chain includes a manufacturing plant in Anagni, Italy.

"We are closely discussing with Italians, as well as with all our European partners to have a European approach on the issue." Véran said.

"Since the first day, France has believed in a shared European approach," he added.

In late January, a public and acrimonious fight erupted between the EU and AstraZeneca over vaccine delays, after the company advised the bloc that it would deliver tens of millions fewer doses than agreed by the end of March.

The European Commission later adopted new measures giving member states the power to restrict the export of vaccines outside the bloc, in certain situations. Italy justified invoking the powers by citing AstraZeneca's delays in supplying its vaccine to Italy and the EU, and noting that Australia is not considered a "vulnerable" nation to Covid-19 by the EU.

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"The message is very clearly… that we expect companies with which the European Union has signed advanced purchasing agreements, to do their utmost to comply with the contracts with the delivery contracts that they have with the with the Member States," Eric Mamer, the European Union's chief spokesperson, said Friday.

He added: "The fact is that the European Union (EU) is a major exporter of vaccine doses."

"We have always said, that we were actually in intense discussions with the company in order to ensure the respect of the schedule of deliveries because EMA has authorized this vaccine, and we are urging member states to use it."

The European Commission's executive vice president for trade, Valdis Dombrovskis, discussed the matter with his Australian counterpart Dan Tehan in a call on Friday.

"While we understand the political pressures at play within Europe, blocking exports to meet domestic vaccination targets is a very dangerous card for policymakers to play," John Denton, the secretary general of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) warned in a statement on Thursday.

He added: "The challenge of getting vaccines to everyone, everywhere — without delay — will only be met through a collaborative global effort to scale manufacturing and speed distribution efforts. It's not too late for governments to change course and avert the huge economic and social risks of a prolonged pandemic."

Véran's remarks come a day after France announced plans to accelerate the country's coronavirus vaccine rollout program, with an increase in deliveries expected, according to French PM Jean Castex.

"The delivery of doses to France will increase in the coming weeks," Castex said during a press briefing on Thursday.

"We will also be able to use the AstraZeneca vaccine more widely. The High Authority for Health has indicated that people over 65 are now eligible for this vaccine," Castex added, noting that the government aims to vaccinate more than 20 million people by mid-May.

The EU's vaccine rollout has continued to falter, pushing some increasingly frustrated member states to turn to outside nations for assistance. Only 5.5 per cent of the EU population of 447 million has received a first vaccine dose, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).

Castex warned that only one in three health care workers in France have so far received a vaccine and said hospitals across the country are "still under strong pressure."

Véran was also present at Thursday's press briefing. "We have effective vaccines, starting with AstraZeneca. It is our responsibility to protect ourselves and those we care for," he said.

A large group of explorers have been let off with a warning after being rescued from storm water drains running underneath Melbourne.

About 25 people had climbed down into the city's storm water system to explore the drainage tunnels last night.

Victoria Police said they entered the system just before 10pm and waded through chest high waters.

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They emerged underneath the Flinders Walk on the northern side of the Yarra River.

The group, who ranged in age from 20-56 years, were spoken to by police and advised of the dangers of their actions, Victoria Police said.

Authorities say storm water drains are incredibly dangerous and even deadly. Flash flooding can occur without warning and in some tunnels there are toxic fumes.

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An 11-year-old girl is among three people rescued from icy waters off the South Australia coast after their fishing boat overturned.

Bianca McNeill, her father Chris and his friend Bailey were fishing at Wright Island, Encounter Bay yesterday when their boat, "The Gumby" was upturned by fierce waves just before 8pm.

"Chris's daughter went overboard so I jumped in with her and he went to straighten the boat and a set of swell came through," Bailey told 9News.

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Bailey still had his phone in his hand and managed to call for help despite the waves crashing over him.

"I used Siri to call for help, I called my dad and he called sea rescue and everyone we knew and um, yeah pretty quick rescue mission, for what time it was," he said.

The trio managed to stay afloat, keeping Bianca's head above water for over an hour before rescue crews found them.

"I was really shocked, scared, and after one hour I couldn't feel my hands," Bianca told 9News.

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They were treated for hypothermia once they returned to shore and "The Gumby" washed back onto land earlier today.

The two men spent the morning digging the boat out of the sand and say next time they will make sure they are wearing lifejackets.

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