CONFIRMED cases of COVID-19 remain stubbornly high in Hunter New England, with 59 new cases announced on Monday.
Of the new cases, Hunter New England Health says 40 were infectious in the community (with four unknown), and 46 cases have been linked.
The region now has 924 active cases, with 27 of those in hospital, and six people requiring intensive care.
It comes as NSW recorded 294 fresh COVID-19 cases and four deaths - three men and one woman.
One person was in their 40s, two people were in their 60s, and one person was in their 70s.
Two people were from Sydney's inner west, one person was from south west Sydney, and one person was from the Central Coast.
The person in their 40s was not vaccinated, the two people in their 60s had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, and the person in their 70s had received two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine.
All four people had underlying health conditions.
The news follows the closure of three Hunter schools after they were listed as exposure sites the same day the majority of students were expected to return to face-to-face learning.
Thornton Public School, Irrawang Public School, and Mayfield West Public School will be closed for cleaning and contact tracing on Monday, with all staff and students urged to self-isolate and follow the NSW Health advice and protocols.
Of the new Hunter cases, 19 are from Newcastle LGA, 16 are from Lake Macquarie, seven are from Cessnock, and there were four cases recorded in Maitland.
Singleton and Dungog both had one case.
There were 59,612 tests conducted in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday.
In the preceding 24 hours the state detected 296 fresh cases, with most coming from Sydney and the Hunter New England health district.
The deaths take the toll of the NSW outbreak to more than 500 people since August.
In other news:
- Seven COVID-19 deaths in Victoria, 1461 new cases
- Shortlist of Aust mRNA makers this week
- Berejiklian and Maguire face ICAC grilling
There are 474 people in hospital across the state with COVID-19 and 116 require intensive care.
There is now 84.8 per cent of the state's adult population double vaccinated, with first doses at 93 per cent.
