Australia hits 90 pc Covid-19 vaccine first dose rate

Prime Minister Scott Morrison on Friday confirmed that Australia passed the rollout milestone for those aged 16 and over.

He said that every state and territory was on track to hit 80 percent double dosed by the end of 2021, a mark already achieved in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Victoria and New South Wales, all of which endured strict lockdowns between August and October.

"We are going to have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world. That goes with having one of the best records in the world on saving lives," Morrison told Nine Radio.

Anticipating the 90 percent milestone, Health Minister Greg Hunt on Thursday described it as an "extraordinary" achievement.

Australia on Friday reported more than 1,400 new locally-acquired Covid-19 infections.

Coronavirus restrictions in Australia's capital Canberra further eased on Friday, moving to baseline-level restrictions that are expected to stay in place across summer.

With Australia gradually reopening its international borders, Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said international students would be able to enter every state without quarantining by the end of the year.

"We want to move through these stages of reopening international borders as quickly as we can," he told Sky News.

"We hope to see movement towards the end of the year, and international students, especially in big states, should be looking forward to the start of the next semester."