West Australians aged 30 to 39 will be sent to the back of the coronavirus vaccine queue but the government has promised existing appointments will be honoured.
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WA has been forced to rejig its vaccine rollout after changes to federal health advice were announced on Thursday.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is no longer recommended for people aged under 60.
Access to the Pfizer vaccine will be expanded to all Australians aged 40 to 59 after the Commonwealth accepted advice from the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation about extremely rare but serious blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca jab.
WA had gone further than other states in allowing people aged in their 30s to receive the Pfizer vaccine.
More than 110,000 people have booked appointments at state-run clinics since the eligibility criteria was expanded last week.
Premier Mark McGowan on Thursday said people aged 30 to 39 who had booked in to receive the Pfizer jab would have their appointments honoured.
No further first appointments will be allowed for that cohort but people are encouraged to register their interest.
People aged 50 to 59 can access Pfizer through state-run clinics as of Friday afternoon.
Those who are booked in to receive their first AstraZeneca dose will now get the Pfizer jab. They will be contacted by WA Health.
Anyone in their 50s who has already had their first jab should keep their bookings and still get AstraZeneca for their second dose.
"The clear health advice from the national health bodies is that different vaccines should not be mixed," Mr McGowan told reporters.
"The risk is minuscule for that category of people."
As of last week, just 25 per cent of people aged 50-59 in WA had come forward to get vaccinated.
Mr McGowan has strongly advocated for over-50s to get vaccinated. The 53-year-old received his first AstraZeneca dose last month.
"I certainly will be having my second dose," he said.
Australian Medical Association WA president Andrew Miller has criticised the government for allowing people in their 30s to get vaccinated when there was significant hesitancy among older cohorts.
The premier responded that the slow national rollout had forced WA to take action.
"The health advice was very clear that we could roll out for those 30 to 39," he said.
""We did that ... and we've had a massive improvement in the vaccine rates."
Health Minister Roger Cook said WA had about 100,000 doses of Pfizer in stock and was receiving tens of thousands of additional doses each month.
He expected there would be "very little delay" for those in their 50s to be able to book appointments.
People aged 40 to 59 will also be able to receive the Pfizer vaccine from their GP or at commonwealth respiratory clinics from July 5.
Australian Associated Press
