Australia's medical regulator provisionally approved Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for individuals aged 12 to 15 years on Friday as more than half of the country's 25 million people were under lockdown.

State authorities of Australia's New South Wales declared on Friday the recent outbreak of the virus a national emergency, calling for redirection of national vaccine supplies.

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Friday Australians will no longer be able to enter New Zealand quarantine-free from 11:59 p.m. Friday as the COVID-19 situation there worsens.