LATEST COVID-19 DEVELOPMENTS:
* Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging premiers who are wavering on opening up borders once they strike an 80 per cent double-dosed vaccination rate to stick to the national plan.
* Queensland and Western Australia are showing reluctance to commit even though the reopening target was key to the recovery plan agreed by national cabinet.
* Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese is supportive but says some restrictions seen now are the result of the failures of the government.
* Heath Minister Greg Hunt says 75.8 per cent of people 16 and over have had their first vaccine dose and 51.5 per cent are covered with two jabs.
* NSW reported 961 new locally acquired cases and nine deaths, none of whom were fully vaccinated. The state's toll now tallies 297 for the current outbreak.
* There are currently 1146 cases in hospital in NSW, with 222 people in intensive care and 117 on ventilators.
* The number of NSW people infected on average by each positive case - known as the average growth factor - has dipped to 0.98, falling below one for the first time since the current outbreak began in mid-June.
* Contact tracers are also interviewing positive cases more quickly, with the number fully processed within a day of their positive result nearly doubling.
* Premier Gladys Berejiklian will reveal the NSW roadmap for 80 per cent vaccination coverage in the coming week and says she wants international travel to resume "at the earliest opportunity".
* Restrictions will ease slightly across Victoria from Wednesday, with the state forecast to have vaccinated 80 per cent of its population with at least one jab.
* It reported 779 new infections and two further deaths on Saturday, and is now host to more than 8000 active cases.
* However Premier Daniel Andrews says a number of rules will soon relax in accordance with the roadmap out of lockdown.
* There's good news for Geelong - released from lockdown at midnight on Sunday despite six new cases. Restrictions will also ease on the Surf Coast but Mitchell Shire will remain in lockdown.
* The ACT recorded 25 new cases, most linked to known infections. However only three were in quarantine during the entire infectious period.
* Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith says thankfully no new positive cases have been identified at Canberra Hospital.
* The Heart Foundation says the pandemic has forced 27,000 people to skip heart health checks, meaning nearly future 350 heart attacks, strokes and heart-related deaths may not be prevented.
AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION NUMBERS:
* There have been 26,660,961 doses administered in the national COVID-19 vaccination rollout up to Saturday, including 219,373 in the previous 24 hours.
* Of the total, 15,326,642 have been administered by the Commonwealth (an increase of 115,941 in the previous 24 hours).
* 14,360,235 have been issued in primary care (+110,926) and 966,407 in aged and disability facilities (+5015).
* 11,334,319 have been administered by the states and territories, including 103,432 in the previous 24 hours.
AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:
* Australia reported 1765 local cases on Sunday: 961 in NSW, 779 in Victoria and 25 in the ACT.
* Three overseas-acquired cases were reported in NSW.
* The national death toll is 1229: NSW 353, Victoria 840, Tasmania 13, WA 9, Queensland 7, SA 4, ACT 3. (Two Queensland residents who died in NSW have been included in the official tolls of both states).
GLOBAL CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:
* Cases: at least 231,521,617.
* Deaths: at least 4,742,894.
* Vaccine doses administered: at least 6,072,756,388.
Data current as at 1730 AEST on September 26, taking in federal and state/territory government updates and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre figures.
Australian Associated Press
