The ACT will look to speed up its vaccine rollout by making people aged 40 and over eligible for a jab, with an announcement expected early next week.
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Health Minister Rachel Stephen-Smith said the ACT government was working through logistical issues before opening up vaccine appointments.
"Whenever we open up to a new population group, everyone in that population group can't get vaccinated all at once. But we need to have the capacity to be able to respond to that spike in demand when we open up," Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"Those are the things we're working through at the moment."
Ms Stephen-Smith said the Pfizer vaccination hub at the Garran Surge Centre was not operating at full capacity, but that capacity would be absorbed by expanding vaccine eligibility.
"As we open up to that much larger population group, we will see that capacity at Garran being used up pretty quickly. ... So we are looking, and we've said before, we're looking at additional hubs," she said.
The ACT had forward projections on the number of vaccines it had available, but would need to consider the amount of doses on hand, Ms Stephen-Smith said.
"One of the factors we need to consider as we look to expanding eligibility for Pfizer is will we have enough Pfizer to make that realistic? What can we tell people about how many appointments are going to be available each week for the next month, two months? What can people's expectations be about how long they're likely to have to wait?" she said.
Following an outbreak of COVID-19 cases in Melbourne, Victoria has announced it would make Pfizer vaccinations available to people aged between 40 and 49.
The ACT announced on Thursday it would impose stay-at-home orders on anyone who leaves Victoria from Friday and re-enters the territory.
Non-ACT residents leaving Victoria on Friday onwards will be banned from travelling to the territory unless they are granted an exemption.
IN OTHER NEWS:
ACT residents returning from Victoria after 11.59pm on Thursday will be required to complete an online declaration form 24 hours prior to arriving, or by midnight on Friday.
All travellers are required to go directly to the residence where they will spend the stay-at-home period and should only leave for an essential purpose.
About 6800 people have declared to ACT Health they had been in greater Melbourne in the last 14 days, while only one person is in quarantine after attending a close-contact exposure site.
Health officials have been meeting flights from Melbourne into Canberra Airport to ensure passengers were aware of the latest directions.
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Jasper Lindell
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
Jasper Lindell joined The Canberra Times in 2018. He is a Legislative Assembly reporter, covering ACT politics and government. He also writes about development, transport, heritage, local history, literature and the arts, as well as contributing to the Times' Panorama magazine. He was previously a Sunday Canberra Times reporter.
