THE Hunter has dodged a second consecutive record case tally on Thursday, adding 83 cases to its rising COVID cohort to have comfortably the highest count outside Sydney.
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Eight people have died in NSW with COVID-19. They include one person was in their 20s, one person in their 50s, two people were in their 60s, two people were in their 70s, and two people were in their 80s.
"Five people were not vaccinated, one person had received one dose, and two people with underlying health conditions had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine," NSW Health said.
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Of the Hunter cases 39 were infectious in the community, with the status of 13 unknown.
65 cases are linked, while there are now 969 active cases within the health district.
Of those, 26 are in hospital and three in intensive care.
The region's Thursday figure trailed only western Sydney and south west Sydney health districts.
Illawarra Shoalhaven added 59 cases while the Central Coast had 21.
Lake Macquarie remains the Hunter electorate delivering the most new cases, with 26 in the latest figures.
There were five in Morisset, three in Blacksmiths, Gateshead and Windale, two in Swansea and Warners Bay.
Single cases were recorded in Argenton, Balcolyn, Barnsley, Bonnells Bay, Cardiff Heights, Mirrabooka, Wakefield and Wyee.
Newcastle added five cases in Mayfield, its only suburb with more than one case.
Individual cases emerged in Cooks Hill, Hamilton South, Merewether, New Lambton Heights, Newcastle, North Lambton, Wallsend and Wallsend South.
Maitland had four cases in Rutherford, three in both Telarah and Woodberry and single cases at East Maitland, Gillieston Heights, Maitland and Metford.
There were five cases in Cessnock, four in Kurri Kurri, two in Greta and one each in Ellalong and Weston.
Tanilba Bay and Raymond Terrace added Port Stephens' two cases.
Muswellbrook also had two cases while there was one in Singleton Heights.
In the wider health district Forster had two, Gunnedah and Booral each recorded one and West Tamworth added eight.
NSW Health said the most recent data showed 89 per cent of the over-16 population had received a first dose COVID-19 vaccine, and 69.1 per cent were fully vaccinated.
With doses administered since that data cut off at midnight on Tuesday, the state has passed the 70 per cent mark and appears within reach of 90 per cent first dose in the coming days.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard announced that changes to how the numbers are announced were coming at Premier Dominic Perrottet's 9am press conference.
Mr Hazzard also revealed the state's daily case number, with 587 COVID infections detected in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.
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