Australia preparing for arrival of first COVID-19 vaccines

Mr Hunt also said vaccinations are on track to begin before the end of the month.

More than 142,000 doses have been taken to a secure location and batches will be assessed for damage and quality in the coming days.

Mr Hunt said security around the shipment will be tight and the Therapeutic Goods Administration would be conducting safety checks.

Priority will be given to hotel quarantine workers that are most likely to come into contact with positive global arrivals.

Frontline workers, hotel quarantine staff and aged care workers will be among the first to get the vaccine.

He said critical details, including when Australians would receive the vaccines, remained unclear.

The Pfizer vaccine will be delivered through hospital "hubs" across Australia, and in residential aged care and disability care facilities.

DHL is one of two companies tasked with distributing the vaccine - which needs to be stored at between minus 60 and minus 80 degrees Celsius - to hospitals, GP clinics and pharmacies around the country.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison and Health Minister Greg Hunt pictured at a plan handling the AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine in Melbourne.

"Rollout of the vaccine will start in late February".

Earlier in the day, opposition health spokesman Mark Butler criticised the government for not rolling the vaccines out sooner.

He wants to know how the flagged online booking system will work and when exactly the jabs will be administered.

Australia is contracted to receive 20 million Pfizer doses and to receive or manufacture at home 53.8 million AstraZeneca doses.