Australia's COVID-19 vaccine rollout will begin as early next month, with plans to vaccinate four million Australians by the end of March.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced on Thursday the first vaccines in Australia would begin in mid to late February, pending approvals from the Therapeutic Goods Administration.
Quarantine and border workers, as well as frontline health staff will be the first in the nation to roll up their sleeves, with 1.4 million doses to be delivered from up to 50 "hospital hubs" across Australia.
Aged care residents and workers will also be at the front of the queue, as will people with disabilities in care and the workers who look after them.
Australians aged over 70 years, Aboriginal people aged over 55 and "critical and high risk" workers will be in the second priority group and will receive the next 14.8 million doses. This includes Defence personnel, police officers and firefighters.
Aboriginal people aged 18 to 54, all other adults over 50 and other high risk workers will be in the third priority group, receiving the next 15.8 million doses.
Mr Morrison said around 80,000 doses would be delivered each week, building up to four million people vaccinated by the end of March.
Australians will receive a booster dose of the vaccine one month after the first jab. In the United Kingdom, residents have to wait three months for their second dose.
"Our officials have been moving swiftly and safely to introduce the vaccine here in Australia as soon as is safely possible," Mr Morrison said.
The vaccine would be rolled out to the rest of the country towards the middle of the year, after those priority groups are vaccinated.
Health Department secretary Professor Brendan Murphy said around half of the country would be vaccinated as part of those three priority groups.
Children would be the last group to be vaccinated if the research determined it was safe and effective, according to Professor Murphy.
"We know children are at the lowest risk of getting COVID and transmitting COVID and the vaccines currently haven't been properly tested in children and that will be the last group that will consider," Professor Murphy said.
Health Minister Greg Hunt said key politicians - including Mr Morrison and Labor leader Anthony Albanese - would also receive early doses to assure the public the vaccine was safe.
"None of us wanted to be a queue jumpers, but we also recognise the public confidence role and so we've come down on the side that the Prime Minister the health minister, maybe a few others [should get the vaccine]," Mr Hunt said.
However the cabinet as a whole would not be receiving vaccines early.
"We don't believe that we qualify on the public health grounds so it's very important we recognise that, but it does matter that we have public confidence and that's why we would look to do it with both the government and opposition leaders," Mr Hunt said.
The first doses are likely to be the Pfizer-manufactured vaccine once approved by the relevant bodies with the AstraZeneca expected to follow shortly after. Health minister Greg Hunt said the Novavax vaccine would also be made available if required.
Professor Murphy said initial doses would be imported but local production would then be ramped up in order to deliver the vaccine to lower priority population groups.
While the first vaccines would be rolled out from the "hospital hubs", there will eventually be more than 1000 distribution points Australia-wide.
GP respiratory clinics will also provide the jab as will selected general practitioners.
Professor Murphy said later in the year, Australians would be able to get the vaccine through their pharmacy.
The Morrison government has been heavily criticised