Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has fired a shot at Scott Morrison as he ramps up the state’s vaccination rollout.

Prime minister Scott Morrison abruptly declared on Thursday that all Australians aged 16-39 would be eligible for a Pfizer vaccine from August 30. 

In a fiery press conference on Tuesday, Mr Andrews revealed 15,000 people had cancelled their AstraZeneca appointments on Monday after realising they would soon be eligible for Pfizer instead. 

‘I did not make announcements about Pfizer last Thursday that saw AstraZeneca appointments cancelled, some 15,000 cancel yesterday,’ Mr Andrews said.

He also took at swipe at Covid-ravaged NSW which he blamed for Victoria’s latest outbreak, saying he would ‘send it [Delta outbreak] back to where it came from’ if he could.

The comments came as Mr Andrews revealed residents as young as 16 will be able to book for a jab when 830,000 new appointments open up from 7am on Wednesday.  

Over-18s will have a choice between Pfizer and AstraZeneca while 16 to year-olds and 17-year-olds will only have access to Pfizer.    

Victoria is in a harsh lockdown with masks required at all times outside, with no end in sight at least until there are much higher vaccination rates

Victoria is in a harsh lockdown with masks required at all times outside, with no end in sight at least until there are much higher vaccination rates

Victoria is in a harsh lockdown with masks required at all times outside, with no end in sight at least until there are much higher vaccination rates

The Premier warned the number of Victorians aged 18 to 59 still far outweighing the Pfizer doses available from the Commonwealth,

‘There isn’t, at this stage, enough for every single person who will want to come forward and make a booking, but if we can get these appointments out the door, if we can get these jabs into arms over the next four weeks we will achieve our target of one million (doses),’ Mr Andrews said.

‘The best vaccine you can get is the one that you can get today.

‘But please, if you haven’t had your vaccination yet, just book it in today to protect yourself and your loved ones.’  

Victoria recorded 50 new cases of coronavirus including an outbreak at a major hospital that forced dozens to isolate.

Mystery cases not yet linked to others in the outbreak halved from Monday to just 10 and 11 were infectious in the community.

They were diagnosed from 48,424 tests and 29,810 vaccine doses were administered on Monday, pushing the double-jabbed over 31 per cent.

Of the 34 cases in hospital, nine are in intensive care and most are being ventilated.

Of the state’s 522 active cases, more than a fifth (113) are under the age of 10, 101 are between the ages of 10 and 19, and 92 are in their 20s.

‘That makes it a point beyond any doubt that this is relevant to all age groups’, Mr Andrews said.

‘It is very much everybody’s business, if that were ever in doubt.’

Dozens of staff from another major Melbourne hospital are isolating after being exposed to Covid-19, as Victoria’s coronavirus outbreak continues to escalate. 

The state’s Covid-19 Testing Commander Jeroen Weimar said health teams are working around the clock ‘to run after all these cases’.

But if Victorians continued to work together then ‘we can absolutely’ put a ring around the outbreak and come out of lockdown on September 2, he added.

‘Those numbers will continue to rise but the onus is now on the wider community because this Delta moves wildly quickly,’ he said.

St Vincent’s Hospital confirmed 24 emergency department staff are now in quarantine after being ‘potentially exposed to Covid-19’, a spokesman said on Monday night.

The hospital’s emergency department has been listed as a tier two exposure site with anyone who visited on August 14 between 7.20am and 5.40pm urged to get tested and isolate until a negative result.

Victoria has recorded 71 new cases of coronavirus , its biggest increase in a single day since the tail end of the state's second wave last September. Pictured are health workers at a drive-through COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Campbellfield.

Victoria has recorded 71 new cases of coronavirus , its biggest increase in a single day since the tail end of the state's second wave last September. Pictured are health workers at a drive-through COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Campbellfield.

Victoria has recorded 71 new cases of coronavirus , its biggest increase in a single day since the tail end of the state’s second wave last September. Pictured are health workers at a drive-through COVID-19 Vaccination Centre in Campbellfield.

Hundreds of staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital (pictured) have been plunged into isolation  as the outbreak grew to 10 cases

Hundreds of staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital (pictured) have been plunged into isolation  as the outbreak grew to 10 cases

Hundreds of staff from Royal Melbourne Hospital (pictured) have been plunged into isolation  as the outbreak grew to 10 cases

St Vincent’s continues to operate as normal with no impact on the hospital’s wider services, and its infection control team is providing support ‘as a matter of urgency’.

Royal Melbourne Hospital is dealing with its own outbreak after five staff and patients tested positive after surgery was performed on an infected Shepparton man on August 12.

Late on Monday, the government added Notre Dame College in Shepparton, Sirius College Meadow Fair Campus in Broadmeadows and a Woolworths supermarket at Altona North to an expanding list of tier one exposure sites.

Meanwhile, new rules around childcare and authorised workers came into effect overnight.

From 11.59pm Monday only authorised workers can access childcare, kindergarten and early childhood services, with workforce permits required to leave home for work.

Workforce caps will apply across several industries including construction, abattoirs, meat, poultry and seafood processing.

Mr Weimar said children were collapsing and vomiting at school with how ill they are and with health officials finding a number of people in the household are also positive (stock image)

Mr Weimar said children were collapsing and vomiting at school with how ill they are and with health officials finding a number of people in the household are also positive (stock image)

Mr Weimar said children were collapsing and vomiting at school with how ill they are and with health officials finding a number of people in the household are also positive (stock image)

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