On Tuesday the Victorian government expanded eligibility for the Pfizer vaccine to include people aged between 16 and 39, but the changes only applied to state-run vaccination centres such as South West Healthcare's Warrnambool vaccination hub.

GP clinics are funded by the federal government, so on Wednesday morning they were still bound by federal vaccine guidelines. This meant people under 40 still couldn't get a Pfizer jab through their GP.

Federal eligibility is set to change at the start of September, at which point GPs should be able to offer the Pfizer vaccine to those between 16 and 39, but for some it may not be so simple.

One young woman called several local clinics trying to book a vaccination, only to be told that she couldn't get a jab unless she was a patient of the clinic.

The woman, who had recently moved from Melbourne and asked not to be named, inquired about becoming a patient, but was told the wait would be at least four to six weeks.

The GP clinics were approached for comment, but The Standard was unable to discover why only patients could be offered the vaccine.

It is understood some GP clinics are worried about ongoing undersupply of vaccines and want to ensure they have enough doses to dispense to their own patients.

Some GP clinics have stopped offering vaccinations altogether, with one practice manager saying it was too difficult to balance their preexisting workload in addition to dispensing vaccines.

The Great South Coast Vaccination Clinic, which is also federally funded, said all eligible people could get a vaccination at the clinic and there was no need to become a patient, but those under 40 would have to wait until September.