After it was revealed Warrnambool clinics would administer the vaccines, people rushed to book in appointments.

In week one of the rollout starting Monday, a number of south-west clinics will provide the AstraZeneca vaccine alongside South West Healthcare's vaccination centre.

South West Healthcare will open the centre at the former Sam's Warehouse premises on Merri Street from next week, where around 40,000 local people will be vaccinated in the next 12 months.

READ MORE:Warrnambool COVID-19 vaccination centre to open

They include Cambourne Clinic, Hopkins Medical Centre, Warrnambool, Warrnambool Respiratory Clinic and Gunditjmara Aboriginal Cooprative Limited.

Hopkins practice manager Lynne Husson said the clinic was so inundated by calls on Wednesday she felt like "pulling the phone out of the wall".

READ MORE: Where you can get your COVID-19 phase 1b vaccination in the south-west

"It was crazy, we were not prepared for that, we weren't told it was going to be in the media and people were ringing non-stop," she said.

"We've only got 80 doses for our first week then hopefully it will be going up to 100.

"We will be calling our patients when it's their turn for the vaccine, no-one will miss out."

The clinic has received the vaccines and will be starting the rollout on Monday for phase 1b patients.

"The trick is we will still need to see our patients during the week that are unwell so we're trying to find the balance by not limiting too many appointments but still offer the vaccine.

"Doctors will be working after hours and will be doing Saturday clinics to try and get the vaccine done.

"The Easter week public holidays will hurt as far as appointment numbers.

"There's a lot of logistics and then and then we have to book up the second vaccine, there's a lot more to it than people realise.

"The appointments will be guided by the doses per vile and how many viles we are going to use.

"You can't just ring up and get it done on the spot."

Ms Husson joined calls from the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners urging patients not to take their frustrations out on medical staff over the rollout, saying some people were behaving in a disrespectful and aggressive manner towards those answering the phones.

"We have had a couple of rude patients from other clinics, we try to explain we are doing the best we can to get everyone vaccinated as quickly as possible," she said.

"80 doses won't cover everyone and even if we did have more doses we have to find the time to give them.

"If they said 'do you want 500 doses I don't know how we would give 500 doses'.

"This will take around 10 months, and more doses isn't the answer, we probably need more clinics on board."

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A shortage of doctors in Portland has clinics concerned about the rollout.

Active Health Portland is the only clinic currently listed to adminster AstraZeneca in Portland.

The clinic was inundated with hundreds of calls from people wanting to receive the jab.

Practice manager Jamie Tippett urged people not to panic.

"Be calm, we will contact you," she said.

"It's going to be stressful to get through everyone with only 80 doses a week.

"We ask people not to call us, it's going to be a lengthy process but we are prepared and we will get to you."

Portland District Health chief executive Chris Giles said the hospital could run a vaccination clinic alongside GPs to get everyone vaccinated.

"We don't think there's the capacity in Portland with the small number of GPs and their ability to take on the big community mass vaccinations," she said.

"There's a shortage of GPs at the moment in Portland and most rural areas.

"The way supply is working we can't just invite anyone from the general public to pop in and get a vaccination because the doses aren't there to give.

"We as Australians have worked hard to be in the position to take our time and do this carefully.

"There's no urgency to get everyone vaccinated next week.

"Let's take a deep breath and sit back until our turn comes up.

"Just look at other places in the world crying out for the vaccine."

The vaccine rollout is adding more workloads onto already stretched doctors.

"It's taking time away from the resources for people who need to see their GP for whatever reason," Ms Giles said.

"The vaccine is additional work for the scarce number of GPs here. When you're working in an area of shortage it becomes increasingly complex.

"Let's not divert time away from core work unless you're in a priority group.

"Please don't ring up and jam up the switchboard and threaten other people to get access to services when you're safe anyway and can afford to wait in a priority system.

"The day we did the first Pfizer vaccine the hospital switchboard went into meltdown with people wanting to know how they could come along and get vaccinated.

"Everyone will get a free vaccine but it's not all going to happen next week."

Dr Craig de Kievit is the chairman of the Hamilton Medical Group, the designated vaccination clinic in the town.

"There's been huge interest from the local population who are all watching what's going on in the United States, UK and Europe where they are having to speed up the process because of the rate of infections they are trying to deal with," he said.

"We are trying to get patients to contact us online rather than by phoning in, that will be a very good way of tackling the onslaught.

"We have to run our practices for non-COVID issues too."

Other clinics include:

The list can be found here.

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