The Bendigo mass vaccination hub is now open, but there is no sign when the clinic will hit its 1,000-people-a-day peak capacity.
Last week the local health authority said Australia was lagging behind other countries in the vaccine rollout, despite increased supply and expanded services.
It led them to do a renewed callout for anyone over 50 to take up the opportunity to get vaccinated, saying they could do more than they currently were.
Deaths a reminder of COVID reality
Monday's opening coincides with an alert from Victorian health authorities of four news cases in Melbourne's north, and Bendigo Health chair Bob Cameron said any over 50 should get their AstraZeneca vaccine.
"I want you to think in the UK, they've had a lot, a lot of death and 99 per cent of those deaths were people over 50, " he said.
"We can't afford to have an outbreak here if you haven't been vaccinated.
The mass vaccination hub has 40 cubicles and can vaccinate up to 1,000 people a day.
For the greater good
Rob and Kerry Dennis from Bamawm in northern Victoria made the hour's trip to Bendigo to get their AstraZeneca vaccine.
"We couldn't get into our local GP because they were booked out until July," he said.
He said it was the same as an influenza shot, and people just needed to get it done.
Mrs Dennis said Australians must start thinking about each other in the fight against COVID-19. She said she had found the apprehensiveness among her own friends.
"I want to be safe. If I get it, I don't want to give it to someone else. I would rather see everyone do it, and then the whole county is safe," she said.
She said Monday's cases reaffirmed to Victorians they needed to get the vaccine.
Not out of the woods yet
Member for Bendigo West Maree Edwards received her vaccination on Monday and said she thought fear and confusion around the federal government's vaccine rollout was partly to blame for people not getting the vaccine.
"We are nowhere near out of the woods when it comes to this pandemic and everyone still has to be very mindful of social distancing, of good hygiene, of wearing our masks on public transport," she said.
"The reality is if you don't get vaccinated, you are at risk of catching COVID-19. So the best outcome for all of us, including yourselves and your family, is to have the vaccination and have it done as soon as possible."
Bendigo Health passed its 10,000 vaccinations last week.
Mr Cameron said at the time it sounded like a lot, but it was the tip of the iceberg of what was needed.
"I think everybody would have liked to have seen a lot more vials earlier on. We're, of course, a long way behind where we should be. But we're now getting there.
"We just want to make sure people continue to turn up."
