PLANNING is underway to open Wodonga's COVID-19 vaccination hub seven days a week to meet rising demand.
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Consideration is also being given to setting up an immunisation clinic at Albury hospital.
The moves by Albury Wodonga Health follow demand for jabs soaring following the Melbourne coronavirus outbreak, which has prompted a week-long lockdown across Victoria.
The Border hub in the former Wodonga Coles supermarket had 620 patients on a single day this week, having been set up for a daily capacity of 500.
Adding to the demand, 40 to 49 year olds in Victoria can now be immunised with the Pfizer vaccine alongside those from NSW.
Health chief executive Michael Kalimnios said walk-ins had been been halted with appointments having to be made through Victoria's COVID hotline 1800 675 398.
He said they were looking at increased hours for the vaccination clinic and Wodonga's drive-through COVID testing clinic.
New employees and the redeployment of staff would be needed to extend opening times at the vaccination hub.
"(We're looking at) certainly extended weekday hours and obviously looking at opening the clinic on the weekends," Mr Kalimnios told a media conference outside Albury hospital on Thursday.
"We already have a Saturday shift that we provide and whether we can extend that on Saturday and of course open the clinic on Sunday, (are) all options we're looking at."
Mr Kalimnios said a decision on expanding opening times could be announced as early as this afternoon.
Mr Kalimnios said a vaccine centre at Albury hospital was also a possibility.
"Potentially we would look at setting up something in Albury, if we did that it would probably be on this campus, rather than setting it up separately," he said.
Victoria's lockdown has prompted Albury Wodonga Health to halt elective surgery amid greater pressure on resources.
The service declared a Code Yellow on Wednesday following high demand on the Albury hospital emergency department.
That meant staff, such as nurses who normally do education, had to be redeployed to the frontline.
Mr Kalimnios urged those who did not need to use emergency services to attend their GP.
He said the greatest impact of the lockdown on staffing was likely to be through home schooling prompting roster changes.
While hopeful the border won't close, Mr Kalimnios said there was a focus on only having staff work in their home state.
