Frontline workers including staff at Tomaree Community Hospital will be among the first to be vaccinated when the regional rollout commences on March 15.

Some of these workers will include emergency department staff, doctors, nurses, ambulance and police officers, as well as hospital administration staff, cleaners and ancillary workers.

In an announcement on February 27, NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle would be one of five major hub sites from which the vaccine will be dispatched.

"These vaccination hubs and satellite sites will initially focus on frontline healthcare and border workers, and will eventually be followed by a wider rollout of the vaccine to the general public through the GP network," Ms Berejiklian said.

Prior to the Premier's announcement, Paterson MP Meryl Swanson had questioned why the Hunter region had been overlooked in the initial rollout which centre around Sydney and a select few regional hubs.

"We have an ageing demographic, and this isn't good enough... the timing is everything with this rollout," Ms Swanson said.

"More than 32 per cent of my electorate are over the age of 55, which begs the question, how can we not be high on the priority list with one of the largest per capita populations of people over 55? It is also estimated that we have more than 10,000 residents living in aged care and lifestyle villages, so I have asked for more specific data."

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Ms Swanson said that federal health representatives were at pains to say there was no political influence or interference on the rollout decisions.

"My office has received more than 50 emails about this issue in the past two weeks. It's an important issue for locals, and people want to be heard. We might not be a hot spot yet, but we need to start vaccinating our vulnerable seniors," she said.

"The rollout should be governed by two factors, the supply of vaccines and the most vulnerable being provided with it first."

Elizabeth Grist, executive director clinic services at Hunter New England Health and the COVID-19 vaccination coordinator, said that it was important that health care workers would get priority during the rollout.

"We are pleased to be able to provide the vaccine to our staff throughout the district, to be dispatched from John Hunter Hospital to satellite sites which will become online progressively from March 15. We have also seen a lot of interest shown from Hunter New England staff, including about 30 staff volunteering to travel to Liverpool Hospital for the jab," she said, adding that staff training had been a priority for Hunter New England Heatlh.

"We had been proactive in our approach to training while awaiting [last Saturday's] announcement, with all staff administering the vaccine going through a vigorous program."

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said rolling out vaccinations to frontline staff in the regions was the next step to ensuring they were protected against COVID-19. "Newcastle is particularly significant because we have frontline staff meeting overseas freighters arriving at ports and those staff obviously are at higher risk than others."

Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the expansion was a major boost for the state's frontline healthcare workers, especially those in regional NSW.

"An important aspect of the continued rollout is ensuring everyone at risk of COVID-19 has access to vaccination as close to their homes as possible," she said.

The Pfizer vaccination has commenced its rollout, while the AstraZeneca vaccine will be available at GP respiratory clinics and general practices that meet specific requirements. When vaccines become broadly available, some workplace vaccination sites and community pharmacies that meet specific requirements will be added, according to the government.

All vaccines used in Australia must be approved by the Therapeutic Goods Administration, which assesses the safety, quality and effectiveness of vaccines before they are registered for use.

For more information go to health.gov.au/initiatives-and-programs/covid-19-vaccines.

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