Prisoners will be among the first to get COVID-19 vaccine in Australia

Prisoners in Australia will be among the first to receive a COVID-19 vaccine when it's available, the federal government says. 

The vaccine rollout is due to begin in March but initial supplies will be limited, meaning it may take months for everyone to receive a dose. 

Other people at the beginning of the queue include health workers, elderly people, obese people and pregnant people. 

On Wednesday (local time) a Health Department spokesperson told The Sydney Morning Herald prisoners and people in detention facilities are included in the priority list which is in line with the World Health Organization guidelines. 

"The priority populations are being determined by the medical experts. The advice is consistent with guidance from the World Health Organisation." 

The federal government said Pfizer has committed to providing enough doses for 5 million people by early next year, with each person requiring two doses. 

Another 120 million doses have been lined up from other companies as long as their clinical trials are successful. 

The UK began its mass rollout of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine this week prompting a warning after two people experienced allergic reactions. 

Two NHS workers reported anaphylactoid reactions to the vaccine on the first day of the rollout. As a result, Britain's medicine regulator has advised people with a history of significant allergies not to get the vaccine. 

New Zealand's medicine regulator, Medsafe, assured Kiwis on Thursday that the vaccine will only be made available if it passes thorough safety checks.

The New Zealand Government has arranged to buy 1.5 million Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines, enough for 750,000 people. 

New Zealand is also expected to get the vaccines early next year with the Ministry of Health working on a rollout plan to decide who gets the vaccines first. Health care workers and elderly and vulnerable people are expected to be first in line.