ASX closes lower; Csl vaccine rescue; two masks 'ineffective'

The Australian market finished Friday?s session 0.74% lower at 6710.80 points as the tech and materials sectors weighed down the key index.

Afterpay, Xero and Nearmap each fell more than 2% in today?s session.

Bitcoin is trading at US$47,111.41 at 4:30pm AEDT, down 5.18% in the last 24 hours. Ethereum is again riding the Bitcoin plunge, trading at US$1472.93, down 5.55% in the last day.

Making headlines, the Victorian Government is seeking a long-term joint venture with a private partner to overhaul the state's $1.8BN registration and licensing system.

Australian Health Minister Greg Hunt said Europe?s decision to block a shipment of 250,000 AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine doses will not affect Australia?s rollout as local producer Csl starts with 1 million deliveries from late March.

And supercomputer simulations in Japan have proven that wearing two masks at once has a limited effect in blocking the spread of a virus compared to one mask that is fitted properly.