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Vic ramps up regional virus jab program

Liz Hobday and Benita KolovosAAP
Victoria has again recorded no new virus cases, with almost 7000 tests conducted.
Camera IconVictoria has again recorded no new virus cases, with almost 7000 tests conducted.

Victoria has called on the federal government to be more transparent about its vaccine rollout, as the state ramps up its regional vaccination program.

"We just think there's a bit of a need for the commonwealth to share more information, to be a bit more transparent," Health Minister Martin Foley said on Monday.

His comments come after revelations a small number of people had been given the wrong dose of the vaccine at an aged care home in Brisbane.

In a separate incident in Victoria, vials of the Pfizer vaccination had be thrown out after it could not be confirmed they had been stored at the correct temperature.

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"We were quite disturbed to hear that there had been cold chain breaches that saw this very precious Pfizer vaccine essentially wasted," Mr Foley said.

He says Victorian officials have asked to meet with Aspen Medical and federal health officials.

Meanwhile, the state government launched vaccination hubs in Bendigo and Ballarat on Monday.

There are now six vaccination hubs operating in Melbourne and regional Victoria, providing the vaccine to hotel quarantine workers, airport staff, and frontline health staff.

Vaccination hubs in Wodonga, the Goulburn Valley, and the Latrobe Valley will start delivering the vaccine from next week.

Almost 4000 people have been vaccinated in Victoria as of Sunday, and it's expected another 4000 doses will be delivered over the next month.

Dr Andrew Mahony from Bendigo Health said the local hub had been supplied with 300 doses, but he expected those would be used within the next couple of days at most.

"It is a slow rollout and that's really constrained by the supply of the vaccine," he said.

But he said the facility could deliver up to 420 doses a day in future, and confirmed most people would receive the AstraZeneca jab.

"The demand I am hoping is going to be very high."

The regional hubs were launched as Victoria recorded no new coronavirus cases for a third-straight day.

The Health Department on Monday confirmed there were just 11 active cases in the state, four fewer than Sunday.

Some 6972 people were tested in the 24 hours to Monday morning.

It comes as 75 per cent of workers can return to offices in the public and private sectors for the first time since the pandemic began.

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