Victoria to expand Pfizer vaccine rollout to eligible people aged under 50 from Monday
Victoria will expand the rollout of its Pfizer vaccine to people aged under 50 apart of a number of priority groups next week.
Eligible Victorians under the expansion will be able to get the COVID-19 jab from Monday and include:
- Carers of people aged over 70 or who have specific medical conditions
- Disability workers and carers
- Adults with specified health or mental health conditions
- High-risk workers such as emergency and defence personnel or meat/seafood processing workers
The vaccine blitz comes after more Pfizer vials were delivered to the state from the Commonwealth.
Public transport, taxi and rideshare drivers will also be eligible to get the vaccine from May 24.
The priority groups are in addition to healthcare and aged care workers, hotel quarantine and border works and others, who are already eligible to get vaccinated if they are aged under 50.
“From Monday, if you’re an eligible worker under 50, place a call and make a booking to receive the Pfizer vaccine,” Health Minister Martin Foley said.
“Hundreds of thousands of critical workers, transport workers and others now have a clear pathway to access the vaccine recommended for their age – protecting them, their family, and the people they work with.”
People who are under 50 and eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine must make a booking by calling 1800 675 398.
Open-access vaccination centres continue to offer the AstraZeneca vaccine to all Victorians aged over 50.
GPs will start administering AstraZeneca vaccines to Victorians aged 50 and over from Monday.
More vaccination centres are also set to open across Victoria, with a new hub launching at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Monday.
“We need to get the disability workforce vaccinated as soon as possible, which is why we’re opening up our high-volume vaccination centres,” Disability, Aging and Carers Luke Donnellan said.
Victoria has delivered more than 300,000 vaccine doses as of today.
To view the full list of specified underlying health conditions under the eligibility criteria, visit: health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines/phase-1b.
