Planning for the distribution of a COVID-19 vaccine has begun

While it's early days in terms of how a potential vaccine might be rolled out, Northeast Health Wangaratta has started discussions about having more vaccinators trained.

Senior staff are discussing in broad terms what infrastructure would need to be in place if the health service were to play a role in delivery, but there has been no directive from DHHS at this point.

Albury Wodonga Health has also started planning, with a vaccine needing approval by the Therapeutic Goods Administration and DHHS in the first instance.

AWH Infection Control consultant Leisa Bridges said there were already a number of trained and accredited nurse immunisers.

"In preparation for an approved vaccine, our Infection Control team is working through the early planning process," she said.

"This includes creating patient consent forms, and formulating a communications strategy on how the local community will be notified of vaccine availability and subsequent roll-out.

"We're experienced in rolling our major vaccination programs such as the H1NI, conducted during the swine flu outbreak, and annual influenza vaccine, and we'd expect any COVID-19 program to follow a similar process."

AWH already has an electronic database available to facilitate vaccine processes and has vaccine storage facilities available at its two main campuses.

On Wednesday, Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt announced the TGA had given provisional determination for the first two vaccines, the AstraZeneca and Pfizer candidates.

Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt reassured this week there would be solutions to the Pfizer vaccine needing to be stored at minus 70 degrees, and that Australia would likely need a variety of vaccines.

Mr Hunt has flagged a vaccine could be delivered as soon as "early 2021".

Australian College of Nursing chief executive officer Kylie Ward said with herd immunity not being a factor for COVID-19, due to cases of reinfection, securing a vaccine was crucial.

"We haven't developed vaccines for coronavirus previously ... there really is that pressure," she said.

"It's exciting to hear that vaccines are getting close; I thought we would have been six to 12 months away.

"Vulnerable populations will receive it first."

There have been nearly double the enrolments in ACN's immunisation courses.

Professor Ward said Australia would need more qualified immunisers for a vaccination program bigger than any others and hoped it would be community-based, like child vaccinations.

"That's why we've been lobbying the government to fund more courses," she said.

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"Regional Victoria and regional Australia can be really confident they've got nurses and health professionals who will keep delivering for them.

"There's so many different services where nurses get in the car and visit people in the community, and I think that's going to be the safest model.

"The last thing we would be encouraging is masses of people lining up to GPs."

Across the Murray River, Murrumbidgee Local Health District was the first health body to indicate planning for vaccinations was starting.

Executive Director of Medical Services Len Bruce said earlier this week plans had begun.

"I can assure you that there's already planning in place about how we would conduct a mass vaccination because it's going to be something of a skill that we've not seen before," he said.

"So there's work underway to essentially plan how we will actually get the vaccine to everybody who needs it as quickly as possible as it becomes available."

The vaccine will be free to all but will not be mandatory.

After National Cabinet on Friday, Acting Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly said the overseas-produced Pfizer and Novavax and Australian-manufactured AstraZeneca and University of Queensland vaccines were still in the trials stage.

"The key question is, 'Will they protect against transmission, or severe disease, or both?' And that will be the fundamental driver of the prioritisation of the vaccine to various parts of the population," he said.