The Hunter Region has recorded seven new cases of COVID-19, the highest daily number in a week, health officials said on Sunday.
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The new cases included two in Newcastle [Birmingham Gardens and Adamstown Heights], two in Maitland [Thornton], two in Port Stephens [Raymond Terrace] and one in Cessnock.
"Four cases are linked to a known case or cluster and investigations for the remaining three are ongoing. Six cases were infectious in the community," Hunter New England Health said.
One person in the Hunter was in intensive care due to COVID, but has now been discharged. It was the first time the Hunter had a case in intensive care during this wave of the virus, which began almost a month ago.
Seven people are being treated in hospital. And across the region, 625 close contacts are in isolation
There were 813 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital in NSW, with 126 people in intensive care and 54 requiring ventilation.
Dr Jeremy McAnulty, of NSW Health, conceded that "a lot of people" were in ICU.
"There's been a lot of detailed planning across the health districts to make sure there's capacity for additional people should they need to be in hospital and intensive care," Dr McAnulty said, adding that there were additional ventilators.
"Extensive planning has been done at the state and local level."
Asked if he was worried about the number of ICU cases doubling, he said: "We're always worried. The aim from a public health point-of-view is to minimise people with infection and particularly protect people who are more vulnerable".
Dr McAnulty said the strategy included lockdown, contract tracing and vaccines.
He said the COVID vaccines worked much better at protecting people from COVID, than flu vaccines do in protecting people from influenza complications.
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she was "alarmed at anyone in ICU".
"Given the case numbers are where they are, I suspect in October we'll probably have the highest number in intensive care. I suspect we've not reached the peak yet. How hard we work now will keep people out of hospital," she said.
The Premier said on Sunday that the state recorded 1218 new COVID cases of community transmission - its highest daily tally.
Six people died from COVID, including three in their 80s and three in their 70s.
"Four of them were unvaccinated and two of them had only had one dose of the vaccine," she said.
The Premier said 834,000 people were vaccinated in NSW in the past week.
"It's broken all our records," she said.
"We're approaching a million jabs a week. For a population of 8 million people, that is outstanding. We are going to show the way in Australia, as to how you can live with COVID."
Among NSW's adult population, 65 per cent have had at least one vaccine and 35 per cent had both doses.
"We're halfway through that magic 70 per cent number across the state, in order to have those extra freedoms," she said.
"We will stick to our word, no matter what the case numbers are doing. Of course we want to see them come down. Double-dose 70 per cent in NSW means freedom for those who are vaccinated.
"It doesn't matter where you live or your circumstances. Once we hit 70 per cent vaccinations, our citizens will feel much freer, more hopeful and happier."
She was asked what would happen if hospitals were overflowing and the chief health officer suggested a citywide lockdown, after the vaccination targets were met.
"The point of getting to those vaccination milestones means you don't have lockdowns in the future. You manage the disease," she said.
"There'll be opportunities to move levers up and down, but no way will we need a statewide lockdown once we get to 80 per cent double dose.
"70 per cent double dose gives us lots of extra freedoms for those that are vaccinated, but it still does mean we use QR codes, good social distancing and that we follow the health guidelines."
Hunter New England Health listed new COVID-19 exposure sites on Sunday as: Kinn Thai, Westfield Kotara: Wednesday, August 25 from 6.30pm-6.40pm. Subway, Market Place, Raymond Terrace: Wednesday, August 25 from 11.55am-12pm. Wok Express 88, Raymond Terrace: Wednesday, August 25 from 12pm-12.05pm. Barrington Bakery, Raymond Terrace: Thursday, August 26 from 3.45pm-3.50pm.
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