Australia is lagging on its coronavirus vaccination targets but authorities insist the country stamping out community transmission has bought time.

More than 100,000 people have received their first dose, but the figure is well short of what was promised with the rollout in its third week.

The government previously committed to four million people being administered vaccines by the end of March and at least one dose being available to all adults by October.

Secretary of the Department of Health Professor Brendan Murphy said Australia did not have people dying in hospital from the disease like the US or the UK.