Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced the figures on Saturday, with a further two cases in Maitland, and one each in Dungog, Newcastle and Lake Macquarie.

It comes as the state recorded 1533 cases and four deaths. The Central Coast also recorded 15 cases.

Hunter New England Health said all but one of the local cases were infectious in the community. Ten are linked to known exposures or family clusters, and the remaining five are still under investigation.

Three cases are linked to the Motto Farm Motel cluster, with five secondary cases in the Hunter community.

Of the Port Stephens cases, five were in Shoal Bay, two were in Heatherbrae, two were in Fingal Bay and one was in Medowie. All were infectious while in the community.

In Maitland, both cases were in Thornton and were infectious while in the community.

The Dungog cases was from Clarence Town and was infectious in the community.

The Lake Macquarie case is from Balcolyn and was infectious in the community, while the Newcastle case in Adamstown Heights was isolating for their infectious period.

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NSW Health's Dr Jeremy McAnulty mentioned Port Stephens as an area that should be on high alert due to sewage detection and urged people in that area to get tested. Sewage detects of COVID-19 viral fragments have been detected in the Boulder Bay sewage catchment.

"With 10 of today's cases infectious in the Port Stephens region, we strongly urge anyone who has even the mildest of symptoms in that area to get tested as soon as possible," Hunter New England Health's Dr David Durrheim said.

Dr Durrheim foreshadowed further cases in Port Stephens in his Friday update.

"In the last few days we've seen a number of cases in the Port Stephens area who were active in the community while they were infectious," he said.

"It's critical that anybody in the Port Stephens LGA that has even the mildest of symptoms... please consider that you may have had contact with somebody with COVID-19. You need to immediately get tested and isolate while waiting for a negative result."

When asked how the government was stopping the virus escaping Sydney into the Hunter New England, Mr Hazzard said there were measures in place, including the regional permits, which were a "sensible balance".

"A lot of the spread that has actually occurred has been through people leaving Sydney illegally," he said.

There are currently 93 active cases in the Hunter New England and there have been 218 cases since August 5.

A total of 358 close contacts the district are in isolation and 11 cases are in hospital with none currently in ICU.

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