More Pfizer doses available to Victorians

#   Acting Premier James Merlino

The Victorian Government is expanding its COVID-19 vaccination program to enable eligible Victorians aged under 50 access to the Pfizer jab. Meanwhile, Victoria has recorded no new cases of COVID-19 days after a Melbourne man contracted the virus in hotel quarantine in South Australia.

Acting Premier James Merlino said contact tracers had identified 138 primary close contacts of the man, and 104 of those people had returned negative test results. He said contact tracers had used CCTV footage, interviews with other patrons and credit card statements to work out who had potentially been exposed to the virus via the Wollert man.

Under the expanded vaccine program, the Victorian Government says an extra 400,000 Victorians will be eligible to receive the Pfizer vaccine from next week.

Frontline workers, disability service workers and carers aged under 50 can start getting the jab from Monday, May 17. Mr Merlino said vaccination sites in Victoria were set up to deliver up to three times the number of vaccines currently being administered, but a lack of supply was holding the rollout back.

Public-facing transport workers, including taxi drivers and rideshare drivers will be able to get the vaccine from Monday, May 24. Disability, Ageing and Carers Minister Luke Donnellan said people must book online for the Pfizer vaccines, which will be offered at certain state vaccination hubs.

A vaccine hub opening at the Melbourne Showgrounds on Monday, May 17, to be managed by Western Health, is among a number of additional vaccination centres to be opened up across the state.