THE number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the Hunter has reached 200.
Hunter New England Health has announced an additional 11 confirmed cases in the region.
Currently, 11 COVID-19 patients are being cared for in Hunter hospitals, and six are in intensive care.
"Daily wellness checks continue to be undertaken with all other confirmed cases in the district," a Hunter New England Health spokesperson said.
The health district was contacting close contacts of the new cases, who were being asked to self-isolate for 14 days from last contact.
They would be contacted every day to check that they were well, and any contact who develops COVID-19 symptoms would be tested for the infection.
Of the cases in Hunter New England, 158 were acquired overseas, 26 were the contact of a confirmed case, and 11 were acquired locally, but the source of infection was unknown.
Five were still under investigation.
In NSW, an additional 127 cases of COVID-19 have been diagnosed, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in NSW to 1918.
There are 157 COVID-19 cases being treated in NSW, including 26 cases in intensive care and, of those, 13 require ventilators.
More than 50 per cent of the remainder of cases were being treated by NSW Health through Hospital in the Home services.
Cruise ships still account for many cases, with NSW Health confirmed 189 cases in the state came from the Ruby Princess, and 66 cases came from the Ovation of the Seas.
So far, four cases of COVID-19 in NSW had come from the Celebrity Solstice.
The coronavirus crisis in Newcastle and the Hunter
It comes as NSW Health has deployed physiotherapists to provide specialised care to patients with COVID-19.
More than 350 NSW Health physiotherapists with previous experience in intensive care undertook virtual training this weekend.
NSW Chief Allied Health Officer, Andrew Davison, said upskilling physiotherapists would help more efficiently wean patients off much-needed ventilators and improve patient positioning to optimise "oxygenation and patient outcomes".
"Physiotherapists, and all allied health clinicians, are an essential part of the multidisciplinary team and the collaborative response to treat and support patients with COVID-19," he said.
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