Australia's Covid vaccination nearing milestone

According to the data released by the Department of Health, 74.1 percent of Australians aged 16 and older have received at least one Covid-19 vaccine dose and 49.3 percent are fully vaccinated, reports Xinhua news agency.

"We're now round about 75 percent the first dose and 50 percent second dose," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

"It's going to make a big difference as we continue to surge towards those necessary targets of 70 and 80 percent, that will open Australia up."

On Friday morning, Australia reported more than 1,700 new locally acquired Covid cases as the country continues to battle the third wave of the pandemic.

Since the onset of the pandemic early last year, Australia has registered 92,179 confirmed Covid-19 cases and 1,196 deaths.