State aims to host Centers for Disease Control

A bidding war could erupt between state premiers vying to host a new US-style center for disease control in Australia.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Thursday hinted at possible funding for the new center in the October budget – an election pledge – after discussing the facility with state and territory counterparts at a national ministerial meeting.

“I am already in talks with at least a few prime ministers who are very keen to locate it,” he told reporters in Canberra.

“With the October budget, we will fund our pledge, like any other pledge.”

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Albanese said he would “keep an eye on it” for future budget announcements and was not brought out when asked for further details.

This follows signs that the winter wave of COVID-19 may have peaked earlier than expected.

Albanese said he hoped the surge in recorded cases would stabilize as the number of people hospitalized with the virus also continued to decline.

But Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly warned that the current wave won’t be the last and urged people not to settle for doing what they can to stop the spread of the virus.

The Moderna vaccine is approved for select children between the ages of 6 months and 5 years.

The rollout of Jab will begin on September 5th, but only for children with compromised immune systems or complex health conditions.

Up to 70,000 children will be eligible for the vaccine.