UFS chief Lynne McLennan said is was vital people continue to practise social distancing, avoiding handshakes and to wear masks on public transports because a coronavirus spread was still a possibility - as evident in Brisbane the past week.

Ms McLennan cautioned the eased restrictions on masks had habits like handshakes and a lack of social distancing creeping back as people let their guards down.

Victoria has been about six weeks without any active COVID-19 cases.

Ballarat's UFS-run community testing clinic had an influx of returned travellers from Queensland push for a swab this week, ahead of the Victorian school holidays.

Queensland ended its snap lockdown on Brisbane five hours early on Thursday after one new case of community transmission from tens of thousands of tests was found and linked to known clusters.

There have been 1674 COVID-19 tests taken in Ballarat the past fortnight, or 1529 per 100,000 people, which is slightly above the regional Victorian average of 1459 for this period.

This comes as the rate in Ballarat residents being vaccinated against COVID-19 is set to rise after Easter.

Ballarat Community Health sites in Sebastopol, Lucas, Wendouree and Smythesdale and Ballarat Medical Centre are set to start taking bookings for vaccinations in phase 1b. The federal government is also set to increase participating general practice clinics across the nation four-fold in the coming week.

The UFS-led Ballarat Respiratory Clinic in Drummond Street North is also to increase jabs from 130 to 150 people per day after Easter.

Ballarat Health Services is yet to confirm a mass vaccination hub for the city, set to come into play as the jab roll-out steps up public inoculations in phases.

Barwon Health, in Geelong, launched its hub site inside the transformed former Ford factory on Thursday but Geelong Advertiser reports no public opening date due to vaccine supply.

People eligible under phase 1b includes adults aged 70-plus, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples aged 55-plus, some people with medical conditions, some people with disabilities and healthcare and emergency service workers.

BHS has been focusing on its phase 1a roll-out to high-risk healthcare workers and aged care residents in the Grampians region. The Courier understands BHS is yet to move into phase 1b.

IN OTHER NEWS

The health service is encouraging people to consider getting the flu vaccine. Official advice via the BHS website is to wait 14 days between the flu jab and receiving the COVID-19 vaccination.

Anyone who has received the first AstraZeneca jab should wait 14 days before getting the flu shot and this must be at least 14 days before or after the second AstraZeneca dose. Anyone who has had the Pfizer vaccine should wait at least 14 days until after their second Pfizer jab before a flu shot.

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