Fifty-year-old man with COVID-19 dies in Tamworth hospital

The man is the second person with coronavirus to die in the city, after a 58-year-old woman died in April 2020.

The man's death was included in Tuesday's pandemic update by Hunter New England Health (HNEH).

"Sadly, a man in his 50s died with COVID-19 in Tamworth Hospital," a HNEH spokesperson said.

"He had received one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine and had significant underlying health conditions. Our sincere condolences go out to his family and friends."

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The health district recorded 10 new cases to 8pm on Monday night, in three local government areas.

Five people were diagnosed with the virus in the Moree Plains taking the total active cases to 195, while there were four new cases on the Mid Coast, and one in the Upper Hunter Shire local government area.

The new infections bring the total number of cases in the district to 4320 since August 5, 2021.

There are 106 active cases in Inverell LGA, one in the Gwydir Shire, and 16 in Armidale.

HNEH Public Health Controller, Dr David Durrheim, said that the health service has seen an "encouraging stabilisation" in COVID-19 cases, at a low number, throughout the region.

However, he said this most recent death was a very important prompt to get fully-vaccinated.

"COVID-19 is a severe disease and we cannot afford to take chances."

More than 90 per cent of the Northern Tablelands region is now fully vaccinated and 93.1 per cent have now received their first COVID jab.

Uralla is the region's first LGA to reach 'fully vaccinated' status.

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Meanwhile, after two recent outbreaks in clubs in the HNEH region, Dr Durrheim encouraged people to visit pubs and clubs when they are quieter, wear masks as much as they can, to remember that the outdoors are safer than inside and to check if a venue is checking vaccination status.

"If they aren't checking it's highly likely that people who are unvaccinated are already in the venue," he said.

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