Australian health authorities are bringing forward the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines by two weeks to early March, even as recent outbreaks in the country’s two largest cities appeared to stabilise.

“We will continue to follow the safety and medical advice and will update our plans where new evidence or advice is available our number one priority is safety,” Health Minister Greg Hunt’s office said in an email, noting the roll-out had been progressively brought forward.

The government plans to complete a mass inoculation programme for its 25 million citizens by the end of this year.

Vaccinations will begin with doses from Pfizer, officials have said, with the AstraZeneca vaccine expected to be in use by March-end.