As the number of new cases of COVID-19 stabilise in the Hunter, health officials are increasing testing in pockets of the region where there has been unexplained local transmissions.

People living in Valentine, Belmont, Mount Hutton, Windale and Croudace Bay who have a fever or respiratory symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath, or chest tightness are being encouraged to be screened for COVID-19 after the source of infection could not be identified for a number of confirmed cases in the area.

NSW Health officials have called for increased testing there to help "flush out" locally-transmitted cases.

There have been 48 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the Hunter New England area in the past week, including three new additional cases announced on Monday.

There were 153 cases diagnosed in the week prior.

The new cases take the region's tally to 248, with 88 people - almost one-in-three - now considered to be recovered.

Public health physician Dr David Durrheim said the screening blitz in Lake Macquarie would give the district the best chance of identifying a potential cluster early.

"At this time in the COVID-19 pandemic, it is absolutely critical that we identify all cases, find their close contacts and make sure that cases and their close contacts are in isolation so that we prevent further spread in the community," Dr Durrheim said. "Hunter New England Health makes sure that where we detect cases where we are unsure of the source of the infection that we put extra effort in to try to identify further cases. This is currently the case in eastern Lake Macquarie, where we have had three cases where we are unsure of their source."

To date, there have been 5903 tests for COVID-19 in Hunter New England, with 1.85 per cent returning positive.

NSW Health data shows there have been 47 confirmed cases in Newcastle, 44 in Lake Macquarie, 30 in Port Stephens, and 28 in Maitland. There had been 24 in Cessnock, five in Dungog, and between one-and-four cases had been identified in Singleton, Muswellbrook and the Upper Hunter.

Dr Durrheim asked that anyone who was exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 to isolate at home, and call ahead when attending GPs and clinics for testing.

He said the Belmont Hospital Clinic was a drive-through service where people were screened via phone before presenting.

For screening, people should call 4923 2211 between 8am and 4pm.

Hunter New England Health also had clinics at John Hunter Hospital, the Calvary Mater, Maitland and Manning hospitals.

The executive director of Health Protection for NSW Health, Dr Jeremy McAnulty, told a press conference on Monday morning there had been 2637 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the state.

He named Lake Macquarie as a potential hotspot of community transmission.

"We want to encourage increased testing in those communities where we have seen even a few local cases of transmissions," Dr McAnulty said. "We are extending testing and encouraging doctors and patients who have got symptoms of acute respiratory infection - cough, shortness of breath, sore throat or fever - in the areas where we have seen some evidence of local transmission, to go to their GPs or a screening clinic for testing."

Dr McAnulty said there were 57 new cases reported in NSW on Sunday - a drop on previous days, but one which could be owed to fewer tests being conducted on the weekend.

There had been 2637 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in NSW, and 18 deaths.

Across the state, there had been 121,401 cases tested and excluded for COVID-19.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday that "pleasingly" the number of new cases of COVID-19 had stabilised or fallen in the state.

"That is good news, but what remains of concern to us in NSW is the number of people who are acquiring the virus through community transmission," she said.

"We are going to focus on that community-to-community transmission.

"I want to thank everybody for their patience and for really stepping up and taking on board the restrictions we have put in place.

"In the main, people have done the right thing. They are adjusting their lives.

"I want to say a deep thank you to everybody. It has been about a week now, and we know that we are making a difference and we want to keep this up.

"There is a chance down the track where we can lift the restrictions in some ways, or else, what we don't want to have to do is go harder."

Ms Berejiklian said there were now 21 free courses available through TAFE that people could do from home to upgrade or gain new skills.

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