Pending final approval from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation, national cabinet is expected to be briefed on expansion of the Commonwealth vaccine program on Friday.

The move to vaccinate children has been welcomed by schools and parents, but concerns have been raised whether vaccine supply and appointment availability can keep pace with the extra demand.

The Prime Minister's announcement came a day after the state's booking system struggled to cope with an influx of 16 to 39-year-olds trying to book as soon as they became eligible.

Among those trying to book were tens of thousands of VCE students, who Premier Daniel Andrews had told earlier this week would be prioritised for vaccination before their final exams begin - which for some is less than six weeks away.

Frustrated Ballarat mum Kerri-Ann Batchelor spent hours trying to book a vaccine appointment for her son Luke, who is in year 12 at St Patrick's College.

The online booking system kept logging her out, the state booking telephone hotline cut her off, and after ringing local GPs and pharmacies the earliest Pfizer appointment she could get was November - after exams end.

Pfizer is currently the only vaccine approved for 16 and 17 year olds.

"These kids have been waiting 18 months to be able to do this ... and it's not that they don't want to it's matter of being available and it's not being made available to them in the best way.

"It's ok to announce this but in the end it's just words and it's not coming to reality.

"I want all kids vaccinated but they've got to come up with a way that all children will be vaccinated via the school system. How are parents of younger children going to get a booking when we can't even get bookings online for VCE students now?"

The current outbreak has impacted children more than previous waves. Of the 600 active COVID cases in Victoria, 128 are children aged nine or younger and 106 are aged 10 to 19. A further 107 cases are patients aged in their 20s.

"Following the final appropriate approvals from ATAGI, we would encourage students aged 12 and over and their families who wish to be vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so as soon as they are able. This will mean a confident step forward for our community in dealing with COVID-19 on an ongoing basis," said Ballarat Grammar headmaster Adam Heath.

"We know students learn best academically, socially and emotionally when they are able to physically attend school, and having a COVID-19 vaccination available to students aged 12 and over will enable our community to move forward together in a very positive way."

Mr Andrews said details on how year 12 students would be prioritised to receive the vaccines would be announced in the coming days.

"We have very successfully used priority lanes, and I think you will see that will be a feature of the plan that we announce ... quite soon. That approach has worked whether it is with healthcare workers, aged care workers, lots of different priority cohorts have been able to get there vaccine that way, so what works, works," he said.

The government will also engage with schools to possibly have groups of VCE students vaccinated at a particular place and time.

"It's got to be done in a sequential, logical way and school communities have to be part of that," he said.

Mr Andrews has also previously stated a goal that every student aged 12 or over should receive at least one dose of the vaccine before the end of the school year.

"The doctors tell us (one jab) reduces transmissions, provides 50 per cent to 60 per cent coverage, and that is a significant benefit. We think about so many young people moving around throughout the whole summer, that is one of those risks that we can dramatically reduce."

Ballarat Clarendon College principal David Shepherd said anything that would help get students back to, and staying at school, was welcome.

"All efforts by the state and federal governments to ensure that all students can attend school with certainty and confidence are welcomed," he said.

"Our preference is always to have students on campus working and interacting with their teachers and their friends."

Staff at the Ballarat Health Community Vaccination Clinic at the Mercure are now vaccinating more than 1000 people a day.

Grampians Public Health Unit operations director Robyn Wilson said three elements had come together - vaccine supply, people who want the vaccine and staff to give it.

And she said appointments were still becoming available each day, and urged people who want to be vaccinated to keep checking the online bookings.

"We have appointments becoming available - people cancel or move their appointments so I'd encourage people to keep looking, keep checking," she said.

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Ms Wilson also called for former nurses and medicos to come and help boost the numbers of people administering vaccinations.

"While we are not short of nurses, we are trying to vaccinate more people than we ever imagined in a short time," she said. "So if there are ex-nurses who have come back, or who have perhaps just retired, and can come back and do a few shifts as part of our surge workforce ... the more people we have the more people we can vaccinate.

"One extra nurse equals 60 to 70 more injections a day, which is significant."

"It's going to take the whole community to fight COVID ... so the more people who help us the fast we can fight."

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