Concern is growing over an escalating COVID-19 outbreak in the Hunter New England Local Health District (HNELHD), which accounts for almost a quarter of the state’s daily cases.
Sixty-three of the 265 new local infections reported in NSW on Monday were recorded in the HNELHD, taking the number of active cases there to more than 1600.
That also includes three deaths in the past two days.
Lake Macquarie mayor Kay Fraser warns the region’s health system is struggling with the current outbreak.
“Our local hospitals are at breaking point,” she esaid.
“I’m really concerned about our frontline workers and the health system being able to cope if there’s an upswing in the numbers here.”
Fifteen of the new cases are from Lake Macquarie, 13 from the Mid North Coast LGA, 12 from Newcastle, 11 from Maitland, and six are from Cessnock.
Only one local health district – south-western Sydney – recorded more new cases on Monday.
Another five deaths were also reported across NSW, including a Cessnock woman in her 30s.
The unvaccinated woman had underlying health conditions and died at John Hunter Hospital.
Two people from the HNELHD, which takes in Newcastle, Taree, Cessnock, Tamworth and Armidale, were also among the deaths announced on Sunday.
An upswing in cases is expected when free travel between Sydney and the regions resumes on 1 November.
Regional travel has been delayed twice already, to give people in the regions more time to get fully vaccinated.
But, Ms Fraser said vaccination rates remained low in parts of her region.
“Even though we have over 95% single dose, we’re still around about 65% double dose, which is a real concern,” she stated.
“Lake Macquarie is faring quite well, but if you look around Cessnock and Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter, they’re doing far worse – some are around 50% – so it’s a real issue for us.”
Some 16 cases were also reported in the Illawarra Shoalhaven on Monday, 10 on the Central Coast, eight in the Murrumbidgee local health district, five in the Nepean Blue Mountains, five from the Southern NSW local health district, two from Western NSW and one in Northern NSW.
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