NSW has recorded 345 new locally-acquired COVID-19 cases, as restrictions are tightened across three more Sydney local government areas.
Two Sydney men in their 90s with the virus have also died, including one who acquired his infection as part of the Liverpool Hospital outbreak. The other man was a resident of Wyoming Aged Care in Summer Hill.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said one man had received one dose of the AstraZeneca vaccine, and the other had received both doses of Pfizer.
"Both had a level of vaccination and our deepest sympathy and condolences to their loved ones," she told reporters on Thursday.
Of the new cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday, at least 91 were in the community for all or part of their infection period. Some 138 new infections remain under investigation.
There are currently 374 people in hospital, including 62 people in intensive care. Of those, NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Dr Marianne Gale said 57 people are not vaccinated, and the remaining five have had one dose of either AstraZeneca or Pfizer.
Ms Berejiklian said while the majority of cases continue to be recorded in the Canterbury-Bankstown local government area (LGA), "the front" of the outbreak has moved into Cumberland.
Three more LGAs neighbouring those in western and south-western Sydney will also be subject to tougher COVID-19 restrictions from 5pm on Thursday.
Ms Berejikian said people in the inner west and Camden areas should also be on "extra alert" as health authorities watch cases in those areas "very closely".
Tougher restrictions for three more LGAs
Ms Berejiklian said the new LGAs of concern include Bayside, Strathfield and Burwood, bringing the total number under harsher restrictions to 12.
"Some (of the three LGAs) only had one case overnight, but as a precaution we want to stop the front of the spread moving forward, it is widely accepted, that advice," she said.
The premier said NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller is working with health officials on a range of compliance measures as the virus seeps into the regions. She said she expects that will include a request for more Australian Defence Force support.
"We are ensuring that no stone is left unturned," she said.
NSW Police Deputy Commissioner Mick Willing said details are still being finalised to update the compliance operation, including closing off loopholes for travel to regional NSW.
"We are still seeing people who are recklessly not abiding by the current health orders. Just this week we saw a person travel out to Parkes without a reasonable excuse," he said.
In the last 24 hours, 407 fines were issued, including 176 fines for not wearing a mask. Fifty-six people were charged with breaches of the public health orders.
Commissioner Fuller will be presenting an updated plan at the crisis cabinet on Friday afternoon.
After singling out the Canterbury-Bankstown LGA with a warning for better compliance over its high case numbers, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard thanked most of the community for doing the right thing.
"I want to emphasise, 99.9 per cent of the community, thank you, because you are actually complying with what we've asked of you and not necessarily on health orders but when we ask you to do it, you do it."
Lockdown extended for Hunter and Upper Hunter region
Meanwhile, the current lockdown for the Hunter and Upper Hunter region of NSW has been extended by at least another week.
Dr Gale said there are 24 cases across the Hunter and New England LGAs. Twelve of the cases were linked to an aged care home, including one staff member.
"Eleven residents are all now being cared for at John Hunter hospital. Three are receiving some treatment with oxygen; and none are in intensive care," she said.
Three new COVID-19 cases were recorded in Dubbo, bringing the number of cases in western NSW to six.
Push to boost vaccination in Indigenous communities
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the lockdown in Dubbo announced on Wednesday evening was triggered "by a case that had come out of a prison in Dubbo".
Dr Gale urged members of the local Indigenous community to be extra vigilant.
"We know that many of those affected areas have a high proportion of Aboriginal people and I ask all our Aboriginal community as well to please stay at home, come forward for a test if you have symptoms and of course please get vaccinated with any available vaccine as soon as you can," she said.
Ms Berejiklian said officials would be working to boost vaccination rates and supply in Indigenous communities in the area.
"We have been looking at that, and of course those communities would have had access to vaccination earlier on. But we are making sure we have sufficient vaccine to provide those vulnerable communities and working with those communities in western NSW."
Increased numbers of younger people getting vaccinated
Meanwhile, Ms Berejiklian said she is pleased by the increase in younger Australians turning up to get the vaccine.
"They are coming forward in droves," she said.
NSW Health has administered 1,758,764 vaccines in the last 24 hours. Ms Berejiklian said at least 10,000 HSC students have received a vaccine dose.
"The strategy is to maximise first doses and it is important for us to in particular vaccinate young people, which is why we are targeting HSC students throughout those local government areas of concern," she said.
Dr Murray Wright, NSW Health's chief psychiatrist, spoke at the daily press conference, advising people to focus on a structure and daily plan to reduce stress.
"It is really important for me to take this opportunity to remind everyone that this is probably the most sustained and serious stress that many of us are going to face in our lifetimes, and ... how we manage it is going to be really important in minimising the mental health impacts of the stress," he said.
"That includes having regular daily exercise of some kind, having contact with the people who are important in your life and talking about meaningful things, including how you are coping. It is important to monitor things like your diet, like your sleep, like your alcohol intake, and also to set goals every day and review that."
A record 151,830 COVID-19 tests were conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, compared to the previous day's COVID-19 test numbers of 119,256.
The list of COVID-19 exposure sites can be found here.
With AAP.
SBS is providing live translations of daily NSW COVID-19 press conferences in Arabic, Assyrian, Cantonese, Khmer, Mandarin and Vietnamese. You can stream those live translations at SBS Arabic24, SBS Assyrian, SBS Cantonese, SBS Chinese, SBS Khmer, and SBS Vietnamese Facebook pages.
NSW records 345 new local COVID-19 cases and two deaths as rules tightened in more Sydney LGAs - SBS News
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