* Fully vaccinated returning Australians and flight crew will start to quarantine at home in NSW in a national push to replace reliance on repurposed hotels.

* The NSW trial will build on a South Australian pilot and inform how to implement home quarantine country-wide, allowing repurposed hotels prone to leaks and outbreaks to be retired.

* The NSW government hopes Sydney's status as a globally engaged city can be rebuilt through the establishment of shorter home quarantine periods for vaccinated international arrivals.

* NSW recorded 1284 new local COVID-19 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday and 12 deaths, including two women in their 20s.

* Two more NSW regional areas - Glen Innes Severn and Hilltops councils - have been thrust back into lockdown, after cases were detected in previously virus-free towns.

* Victoria's hospitals are preparing for a wave of COVID-19 patients in coming weeks, as the state eyes eased restrictions once more people are vaccinated.

* The state recorded 510 new coronavirus infections on Friday - 95 per cent from Melbourne's north and west - while a woman aged in her 50s died.

* The head of Victoria's COVID-19 response slammed construction workers for blocking the streets of Melbourne in protest of new restrictions placed on tea rooms.

* Canberra recorded 30 new COVID-19 cases, with the ACT chief minister Andrew Barr describing the number - the second-highest since its lockdown began five weeks ago - as "not good".

* Queenslanders have been promised a new era of choice when it comes to COVID-19 vaccines, as the state reported one new local case.

* South Australia will further expand its app-based home quarantine system to cater for up to 250 returned travellers each week from October.

* Tasmania is targeting a 90 per cent coronavirus vaccination rate by December so the island can "open with confidence" for summer and Christmas.

* Western Australia has tens of thousands of empty coronavirus vaccination slots as authorities prepare to offer jabs at selected secondary schools.

* Australia will add a third weapon to its coronavirus vaccine arsenal, with the first Moderna doses due to arrive in the country on Friday night.

AUSTRALIAN VACCINATION NUMBERS:

* There have been 24,054,063 doses administered in the national COVID-19 vaccination rollout up to Thursday, including 302,141 in the previous 24 hours.

* Of the total, 13,861,385 have been administered by the Commonwealth (an increase of 182,087 in the previous 24 hours).

* 10,192,678 have been administered by the states and territories, including 120,054 in the previous 24 hours.

* Nationwide, 70.5 per cent of people aged over 16 have received one vaccine dose while 45.4 per cent are fully vaccinated.

AUSTRALIAN CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS:

* Australia reported 1825 local cases on Friday: 1284 in NSW, 510 in Victoria, 30 in the ACT, and one in Queensland.

* Five overseas-acquired cases were also reported: two each in NSW and WA, and one in Victoria.

* The national death toll is 1141: Victoria 829, NSW 278, 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 227,025,000.

* Deaths: at least 4,669,000.

* Vaccine doses administered: at least 5,809,639,000.

Data current as at 1700 AEST on September 17, taking in federal and state/territory government updates and Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Centre figures.

Australian Associated Press