30 NEW COVID-19 CASES RECORDED IN THE HUNTER AND CENTRAL COAST

New South Wales has recorded 1,533 COVID-19 cases overnight.

15 new cases were found in the Hunter – 10 of those are linked to cases or clusters, and five are under investigation.

10 cases were infectious in the community, all at Port Stephens.

11 people are in hospital in the region, none are in the Intensive Care Unit.

There are 15 new cases on the Central Coast, bringing the total number of cases to 93.

Sadly, another 4 people died across New South Wales – a man in his 50s, a man in his 60s, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 80s.

173 people are in ICU; 137 are not not vaccinated.

Health officials continue to monitor sewage across a number of regional areas in the state.

Fragments of the virus have been found in several communities, including Tamworth, Port Stephens and Kempsey.

Anyone in these communities is urged to come forward for testing if they have even the mildest symptoms of the virus.

There were almost 130, 000 vaccines administered across the state yesterday.

Meanwhile, Lifeline has confirmed there’s been an 11 per cent increase in the number of calls to the service across the state over the last year, and a 28 per cent increase in last two years.

The organisation is urging anyone who is struggling to contact them for support on 13 11 14, or head to the Lifeline website.