NSW recorded 319 locally acquired cases to 8pm last night and five deaths. Two cases were also recorded in Armidale and the region will go into a snap lockdown.
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Of the locally acquired cases 125 are linked to a known case or cluster while 108 are household contacts and 17 are close contacts.
The source of infection for 194 cases is under investigation.
138 were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 32 were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Fifty-one cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of 98 cases remains under investigation.
NSW Health has been notified of the deaths of five people who had COVID-19.
A woman in her 80s, a man in his 80s and a man in his 90s, all from south west Sydney, died at Liverpool Hospital. These three deaths bring to five the number of deaths now linked to the Liverpool Hospital outbreak.
NSW Health has also been notified of the death of a man in his 60s from south west Sydney at Liverpool Hospital and a man in his 80s from the Inner West who died at Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. They acquired their infections in the community.
NSW health minister Brad Hazzard announced the two cases in Armidale in the state's Northern Tablelands overnight. These cases are a woman who is a close contact of a known case in the Newcastle area, where she visited overnight recently, and a household contact of hers.
The Armidale Regional local government area, including the major town of Armidale and the town of Guyra, will go into a snap lockdown from 5pm today until 12.01am Sunday, August 15.
There were four new cases of COVID-19 in the Newcastle area, bringing the number of cases in the area to eleven. Two of the four new cases are linked to previously announced cases and the source for two cases remains under investigation.
Mr Hazzard urged everybody to stay home.
"You have a really got to get serious about staying at home.
"You cannot leave our health staff continually having to search where you have been, what you have been doing, it is not fair to the community, it is offered yourself, it is not to anybody."
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"I also want to stress that where we go in this situation is in the hands of the community," Mr Hazzard said.
"The government and our health staff and the police, and the ADF, can only do so much. In the end, this is in the hands of everyone of us as community members, as to when and how we get out of this rather troubled time of COVID."
There have been 4929 locally acquired cases reported since June 16, when the first case in this recent outbreak was reported.
There are currently 345 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 56 people in intensive care, 23 of whom require ventilation.
There were 108,449 COVID-19 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day's total of 109,547.