NSW records 12 more deaths, 1351 new COVID-19 cases

He said 10 of today's 12 fatalities, six men and six women, were not vaccinated.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard also advised that due to changing conditions, two local government areas - Lismore and Albury - would return to lockdown at 6pm for seven days.

"Suffice to say there have been positive cases in both areas," Mr Hazzard said. "I'm just warning the community it may be longer... if local residents don't come out in great numbers to get tested."

There was a confirmed case in Lismore in northern NSW reported overnight and a further 44 cases in the Illawarra taking the total caseload to 502.

He said in Western NSW, there are now 1004 cases in total, 27 of them reported overnight. They came from Dubbo (12), Bathurst (6), Walgett (6), Bourke (2) and Wellington (1).

There were two more at Broken Hill, 16 new cases across the Hunter-New England and 23 cases on the Central Coast.

He also added there were three cases in Southern NSW, one in Yass, one in Bomberra and one in Queanbeyan as well as two in the Southern Highlands.

There have been 210 COVID-19 related deaths in NSW since mid-June 16 and 266 in total since the start of the pandemic.

There are 1,231 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 231 people in intensive care, 108 of whom are on ventilators.

The breakdown of the 1,351 locally acquired cases reported last night is:

- Sewage detections have been made at the Gunnedah, Inverell and Hunter Karuah sewage treatment plants, Coffs Harbour Cowra, Young and Narooma.

Health Minister Brad Hazzard said: "I would encourage the community to continue to get tested with any symptoms whatsoever. Health needs that information in order to be able to make the decisions that are undertaken to keep us safe."

Eight and a half million people have had at least one vaccine. About 129,266 tests were conducted within the community yesterday.