Australia looks to roll out COVID-19 booster shots soon as curbs ease

FILE PHOTO: Diners eat outside a cafe in St Kilda while police stand by due to a Victorian Freedom Movement protest on the second day of eased coronavirus disease (COVID-19) regulations, following a lockdown to curb an outbreak, in Melbourne, Australia, October 23, 2021. REUTERS/Sandra Sanders

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Australian officials plan to roll out COVID-19 booster shots soon to prevent a resurgence of cases, as residents in the two largest cities of Sydney and Melbourne begin to enjoy more freedoms after months-long curbs.

Australia has ditched its COVID-zero strategy in favour of suppressing the coronavirus, after largely stamping out infections for most of this year, and is now aiming to live with the virus through higher vaccinations.