With less than a week to go, electoral commissioner Tom Rogers said while voting in elections are in-person events, changes can be accommodated owing to the global pandemic.

"We're accounting for the pandemic in many aspects of election delivery, including options for COVID-19 positive voters in isolation," Mr Rogers said.

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"If you test positive today, or in the next few days, you'll be in isolation until after polls close on Saturday, and need to apply for a postal vote."

Postal vote applications are open until 6pm on Wednesday or by clicking aec.gov.au/pva

Only voters who have no other voting options while in COVID isolation will be allowed by the AEC.

How to vote by phone

Those COVID positives who missed the postal vote application deadline will be able to access a telephone vote.

Information about the telephone voting service will be available to voters who need it once postal vote applications close.

So far, 2.5 million postal vote applications have been received by the AEC, or one million more from the 2019 federal election.

"There is a sting in the tail with so many postal vote applications this election, and that is the count."

Postal vote counting begins immediately on Sunday, May 22

"We simply cannot count postal votes on election night. We're already at the limits of our staffing capacity, and work health and safety responsibilities with the count of election day and pre-poll votes", Mr Rogers said.

"With 105,000 staff, we're temporarily one of the nation's largest employers, which is an undoubted resourcing challenge during COVID-19."

Postal vote counts across polling centres will begin on Sunday afternoon.