"Safety is the government's number one priority when it comes to rolling out the COVID-19 vaccine," he said.

"People in the Parkes electorate can be confident that the (federal) government will conduct all the necessary checks and balances before the vaccine is made available in Australia."

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The deaths were among more than 40,000 elderly Norwegians to receive the vaccine.

"The deaths were recorded among very frail patients, including some who were anticipated to only have weeks or months to live," the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) stated this week.

"The deaths were associated with fever, nausea and diarrhoea, which are relatively common short-lived effects that a number of people experience after vaccination.

"It is not expected that these common adverse reactions following immunisation will be of significance in the vast majority of individuals vaccinated with the Pfizer BioNTech vaccine."

The TGA says a vaccine will only be approved for use if it is demonstrated to be "safe and effective in clinical trials and if the manufacturer can show it can be produced in a high quality, consistent and controlled manner".

Five phases of the year-long rollout in Australia of both the Pfizer and the AstraZeneca vaccines start from mid-to-late February.

The first phase will cover quarantine and border workers, frontline health officials, and aged and disability care workers and residents.

Mr Coulton said the government would work to ensure the vaccines were distributed firstly to those who needed them most, and in an orderly fashion.

"Worth noting is the fact that vaccination is not a silver bullet," he said.

"Once the vaccination starts, COVIDSafe practices do not end. They will continue.

"Thank you to everyone in the Parkes electorate for doing the right thing as we continue to combat the virus."