NSW Health figures show the number of positive tests in the region has stayed stable at 276 over the past two days.

The health district has added 22 cases in the past week, an average of just over three per day.

HNEH public health physician David Durrheim described the result as "very encouraging".

"What's more encouraging is what we see when we look at Australia's performance at the moment," he said.

"Where Australia was on a sharp trajectory with the doubling time every three-and-a-half days, that has now slowed to about every six days."

Australia added just 44 new cases on Tuesday, but Dr Durrheim said the lesson of Singapore showed "we can't, however, afford to relax".

Singapore's infection rate was negligible in mid-March but has climbed rapidly since then to a record 386 new cases on Monday and 334 on Tuesday.

More than 3000 people have tested positive in the island city state.

Singapore was once a poster child for how to deal with the pandemic, but its recent spike in cases suggests it might have eased restrictions too soon.

"We know that other countries that have done well in the beginning, like Singapore, took their foot off the pedal, they relaxed their controls, and now we see Singapore's trajectory is heading skywards," Dr Durrheim said.

Three Hunter people have died of COVID-19 complications, including a 69-year-old man and 74-year-old woman in John Hunter Hospital.

The number of coronavirus patients in HNEH hospitals has fallen from 12 to six in the past week.

NSW had 16 new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday night after testing another 1305 people.

The death toll in NSW remains at 26.

The total number of locally acquired infections in NSW from a known source has climbed slowly from 641 a week ago to 738.

The number of new cases from an unknown source remains steady at 351.

NSW Health urges anyone who is feeling unwell with a cough or a fever to be assessed by visiting one of the free COVID-19 clinics, their local GP or their nearest hospital.

Anyone who is unwell should stay at home except when seeking health care.