The second phase of Australia's COVID vaccine rollout is underway, despite a rocky start. Here's what you need to know

Phase 1B of Australia’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout has started today, after a few teething troubles.

Last week the federal government prematurely released the national online booking system, which went live before GPs were expecting it. Practices have been swamped with phone calls since, despite many having not yet received any supply of COVID vaccines.

What’s more, extreme weather and flooding is expected to disrupt the rollout in New South Wales.

But from today, about 1,000 GP clinics have received supply and can begin vaccinating eligible Australians.

Just over six million Australians are eligible to be vaccinated in this phase. This includes Aboriginal people over 55 years old, non-Aboriginal people over 70, key workers such as police and firefighters, and health-care workers not vaccinated in phase 1A. You can take the federal government’s online test to find out whether you’re eligible, and if not, when you will be.

Check the ‘booking system’ for eligible GPs

General practices are using only the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine as part of this phase. Pfizer vaccines will continue to be given through workplaces and aged-care facilities, to those in category Category 1A. There is no plan for these to be given through GPs at this stage.

To administer the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, GPs undergo a rigorous application process, and not all practices have opted to do this. Of the roughly 6,600 accredited practices in Australia, only around two-thirds will be administering COVID vaccines. The federal government hopes up to 4,000 clinics will be administering the vaccine by the end of April.

You can find out which GP closest to you is giving these through the national online booking system. However, despite being called a “booking system”, it actually simply gives you contact details for approved GPs in your location. You are then expected to make contact yourself. You can find the “make a booking” button after doing the eligibility quiz.

But before you pick up the phone, please understand…

Each participating GP clinic is currently allocated a limited supply of AstraZeneca vaccines, around 50-400 per week. It will likely take months at this rate to vaccinate communities. Unfortunately, there just isn’t enough supply of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the country right now to do this any faster.

Currently we only have what we’ve imported, which is around 700,000 doses, despite the hope for 3.8 million by now.

However, local manufacturing will soon ramp up. On Sunday the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) approved the domestically produced version of the AstraZeneca vaccine, which is being manufactured by Melbourne-based biotech company CSL.

It’s exactly the same vaccine, but it required TGA approval to make sure the locally produced version exactly matches the European one. Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt said he expected CSL to start delivering the vaccine in the coming days. The aim is for CSL to eventually produce one million doses per week.

One positive aspect to this slow start is that it allows GPs to absorb vaccine administration into their normal workflow. Most general practices are small, privately owned businesses that want to continue providing existing services as well as give the vaccinations. So there’s time to get systems and processes in place.

The overarching message is to see this as a marathon not a sprint. Be patient, and your time will come!