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Windmill Hill Medical Centre GP Dr Leanne Jones said due to the inherent difficulty in getting children to follow mask and social distancing protocols, the vaccine offered a reliable level of protection.

"Children are very, very good at spreading germs because they have more trouble following protocols around hygiene and mask-wearing," she said.

"There is good evidence that shows one dose is 80 per cent effective.

"Parents have been asking, should they have the second dose before they return to school and the advice is no because of that 80 per cent protection we get from the first dose."

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Dr Jones said Australia was in a good position to understand the benefits of the vaccine which had already been used extensively in other parts of the world to good effect.

Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff said some hesitancy around children returning to school was understandable.

"We do know that there is a level of anxiety in the community about the return to school and our number one priority is the safety and wellbeing of children, particularly in our schools," he said.

"I'd encourage parents to include making a vaccination booking on their return to school checklist if they haven't already.

"We know that COVID in children in particular presents as very mild, however having your child vaccinated before the return of school will reduce the chance of your child catching COVID, passing the virus on to others, and reduce disruption to school, sports, and other activities.

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Mr Rockliff said there were enough doses to ensure all eligible children aged 5 to 11 had the opportunity to get their first dose at a state or GP clinic.

He said over 40 per cent of the eligible age group had already received their first dose.

The Department of Health also confirmed 6000 appointments were available at Launceston's COVID-19 vaccination centre in the coming weeks for eligible booster shots.

The department said tens of thousands of people - who had not yet booked in a booster - were eligible across Northern Tasmania.

They said a significant number of people in every suburb across the North had yet to make an appointment.

Andrew Chounding is The Examiner's Health Reporter, if you have a health-related story please email Andrew.chounding@examiner.com.au

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