THE week after Victoria's Labour Day holiday on March 8 will herald the start of COVID-19 vaccinations on the Border, with Albury Wodonga Health frontline workers first to get protection.
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Vaccine doses for the general public across the Border area are expected to be issued from early to mid April.
The timetable was outlined on Monday by Albury Wodonga Health chief executive Michael Kalimnios as the rollout of the Pfizer vaccine began across Australia.
A hub will be set up at a yet-to-be disclosed building in Wodonga, which will not be at the city's hospital, and a team of 20 from the health service will oversee the inoculation process.
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"We expect in that first tranche (of vaccines) we'll be dealing with most likely the immunisation staff as well as the clinic staff, emergency department and ICU," Mr Kalimnios said.
"Our Albury staff will be required to attend the Wodonga campus."
Around 1800 are expected to participate in the first phase of the vaccine rollout which is expected to be complete by early April.
They will each be given two to three days off after their injection to overcome side-effects such as nausea or a sore arm.
"Obviously when we vaccinate an area like ED we don't want to vaccinate the whole ED at the one time, cause potentially then we'll have a lot of staff not being able to work the next day," Mr Kalimnios said.
The vaccine will not be compulsory for the health employees, unlike the regular flu jab.
Mr Kalimnios will be among the band of hospital staff to be immunised.
"I'm probably in the immuno-suppressed group, I have a kidney transplant, so I'll certainly be looking forward to getting the vaccine being in a high-risk group," he said.
Following the initial coverage of frontline workers, Albury Wodonga Health will be involved in co-ordinating the distribution of the vaccine for the wider public.
"I would anticipate probably rollout would start early to mid April (for that group)," Mr Kalimnios said.
"We need to work through the logistics of that, Albury Wodonga Health isn't actually at this stage going to be delivering those vaccines.
"We'll certainly have a co-ordination role but those vaccines will be delivered through GPs and pharmacists directly and are being managed by the Commonwealth."
The Astra Zeneca vaccine is likely to go to that group.
Albury Wodonga Health is also involved in distributing the Pfizer variety to health professionals across Alpine, Indigo, Towong and Wangaratta council areas as well as Wodonga and is collaborating with the Murrumbidgee Local Health District to assist its frontline personnel.
