Vic holding off on AZ vaccine to under 50s

The Victorian government will continue its pause on COVID-19 AstraZeneca vaccinations to people under 50.

Jabs for the younger cohort were temporarily stopped on Friday following advice from the Commonwealth about the risks - although very low - of an adverse side-effect from the vaccine.

Acting Premier James Merlino said on Monday the rollout of AstraZeneca jabs would be on hold to allow for health information to be translated into languages other than English.

He said there was a large number of Victorians who needed to be able to read Commonwealth-provided details about the vaccine in their native tongue.

The government is waiting as well until staff at state-run vaccine centres are trained to adequately inform younger vaccine recipients of health risks and which one - AstraZeneca or Pfizer - they might prefer.

Mr Merlino also wants legal protection against being sued if the jab is administered to a younger person, to be guaranteed for the state-run centres.

Federal health minister Greg Hunt said on Sunday that vaccine indemnity agreements were already in place for GPs across the country, but Victoria wants the same for state-run facilities.

State health minister Martin Foley said he was confident this would be given, but it just hadn't come through yet.

Given the pause on AstraZeneca to under 50s, the state government is also asking the Commonwealth to re-direct all AstraZeneca vaccines due to be delivered to state vaccine centres over the next two weeks, to GP clinics, to enable them to deliver more vaccinations to the elderly.

"This is a common sense approach to get this thing done as quickly as possible," Mr Merlino said.

"We say to the Commonwealth, don't send us AstraZeneca - the state sites - for the next fortnight, send it to our GPs so that GPs can administer the vaccine particularly to our vulnerable over 70s."

Victoria has recorded two new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, returned overseas travellers who are in hotel quarantine.