818 new cases of transmission were recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm Sunday, with three people in their 80s dying in that period. NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said all had underlying conditions.
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She urged people to turn away from case numbers in favour of watching vaccination rates.
"Once we get to 80 per cent double dose, essentially we will have normalised COVID the way we treat other conditions," she said.
She said there would be "more to say" later this week about a return to schools given how close the 6 million vaccinations target had come.
Ms Berejiklian said 738,000 people were vaccinated in NSW during the past week.
"We're up to 5.9 million jabs in NSW," Ms Berejiklian said. "I'm so pleased everybody has really heard the call."
IN THE NEWS:
Federal Health Minister Greg Hunt told reporters in Canberra on Monday that vaccination rates in recent weeks had begun to match records around the world.
More than 139,000 people were vaccinated nationally on Sunday.
"All of those numbers are progressively increasing," he said.
"Supply is strong, distribution is strong and the uptake is incredible."
Monday delivered tighter NSW lockdown rules, including for the Hunter. Masks are now mandatory outdoors in the region until August 28, the mooted expiry of the statewide lockdown.
Curfews have now come into force across Sydney's 12 local government areas of concern, with that city's lockdown not due to expire until the end of September at the earliest.
Across the border Victoria recorded 71 new cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to midnight yesterday.
Cases on the Mid North Coast
A 14-year-old South Kempsey girl tested positive on August 17.
A second positive case is a close contact.
NSW Health has added an exposure site at the Nambucca Heads interchange service centre after a truck driver travelling from Sydney to Queensland had tested positive.
There are four exposure sites on the Mid North Coast.
Anyone who attended Bunnings or Little Shack in Port Macquarie; Coles in Belgrave Street, Kempsey or the BP Nambucca Heads at the dates and times listed is a casual contact who must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.
- Little Shack Cafe, 1 Munster Street (on the Town Green), Port Macquarie - Saturday 14 August, 2pm to 3.30pm
- Bunnings Warehouse, 18 John Oxley Drive, Port Macquarie - Saturday 14 August, 3.45pm to 4.05pm
- Coles, Belgrave Street, Kempsey - Tuesday 17 August, 11.45am and 12.10pm.
- BP Nambucca Heads, 2 Corkwood Road, Valla - Thursday 19 August, 2pm to 2.15pm
All close contacts have been contacted and informed as part of normal contract tracing processes.
They must get tested and isolate for 14 days, regardless of the result.
Anyone else who has been at the venues at the date and times listed is considered a casual contact, must get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.