It’s a tag no-one wants, but Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD) is now among the worst COVID-19 impacted regions in the state.
It comes as another 79 cases were detected overnight. It takes the total number in the current outbreak to 2,890.
There are currently 838 active cases with 21 requiring care in hospital, four people are in ICU.
Lake Macquarie recorded a spike with 18 across Belmont North (three), Valentine (three), Toronto (two), Windale, Cameron Park, Cardiff, Morisset, Swansea, Tingira Heights, Warners Bay, Whitebridge and Gateshead.
The Newcastle LGA was not far behind with 17 in Mayfield (three), North Lambton (three), Elermore Vale (two), Hamilton South (two), Carrington, Georgetown, Maryville, New Lambton, Newcastle East, The Hill and Wallsend.
Dr Marianne Gale flagged Raymond Terrace as a suburb of concern after Port Stephens added eight cases – five are in Raymond Terrace while Mallabula, Soldiers Point and Tanilba Bay host the final three.
Discoveries in Woodberry (four), East Maitland, Maitland and Tenambit added seven to the Maitland LGA while Cessnock also found six in Kurri Kurri (three), Cessnock (two) and Aberdare.
Dungog made the list with two cases across Clarence Town and Martins Creek and Singleton detected one in Hunterview.
Armidale (one), Tamworth (11), Mid Coast (five), Moree Plains (two) and Tenterfield (one) make up the remaining cases.
Forty-one of the detections were infectious in the community while 51 are linked to known clusters or exposures.
NSW, as a whole, reported 293 new infections and the deaths of two people – a man in his 70s and a woman in her 90s.
If you need to get tested for COVID-19 there are more than 400 clinics open across NSW.
For a complete list and booking details, visit: health.nsw.gov.au/Infectious/covid-19/Pages/clinics.aspx
For our latest COVID-19 news, click here.
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