Newcastle reported six new cases to 8pm on Tuesday, while there were 11 at Cessnock, nine from Lake Macquarie, one from Port Stephens and one other from Singleton.

To the North West, Tamworth reported eight new cases within the local government area, with two from Inverell and a further two from the Moree Plains. Six cases were reported from within the MidCoast LGA.

"While case numbers are lower today in Inverell and Moree, we encourage anyone with even the mildest of symptoms to continue to come forward for testing," a spokesperson for Hunter new England Health said yesterday.

"We also encourage people to get vaccinated, if they haven't done so already."

Meanwhile, health officials have warned of recent detections of COVID-19 virus fragments from the sewage treatment plants in Barraba in the state's New England region.

"We urge everyone in this area, and not only in this specific catchment areas, to come forward for testing even if they have the mildest of symptoms, so we can identify any unknown cases in the community and reduce transmission," the spokesperson said.

The latest regional update comes as NSW reported 216 new cases and three deaths across the wider state.

With 46 new cases, the Hunter New England Local Health District continues to be the biggest hotspot, followed by southwest Sydney, which had 37 while 31 are from southeastern Sydney.

NSW has exceeded the long-awaited 90 per cent full COVID-19 vaccination milestone. Some 94 per cent of people 16 and older have had one jab and 90.1 per cent of adults have had two doses. In the 12-15 age group, 80.2 per cent have had their first dose and 70.4 per cent are fully vaccinated. More than 12.5 million vaccines have been administered in NSW.

NSW Health's Marianne Gale said the high vaccination rate was "really pleasing". "While we've achieved that terrific milestone ... if you haven't yet been vaccinated please don't delay," she said.

She urged anyone who had recovered from the virus to get vaccinated. "If you have any doubt please talk to your GP," she said.

Three new deaths included a man in his 30s from southwestern Sydney who wasn't vaccinated and had underlying health conditions. Another unvaccinated man in his 40s from southwestern Sydney also died as well as a man in his 80s from southwestern Sydney, who had received one jab.

IN THE NEWS:

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: