COVID-19 is continuing its spread in regional NSW with vulnerable Indigenous communities who live in close proximity most at risk as vaccination efforts ramp up.
Deputy Premier John Barilaro said there were another 54 cases recorded in the western NSW district in the 24 hours until 8pm on Monday.
"Our concern is western NSW," he said.
There are 32 new cases in Dubbo, where an Indigenous man has already died, five in Bathurst, eight in Bourke, one in Brewarrina, five in Wellington, one in Mudgee, one in Narromine and one in Parkes.
"The message to everybody in regional and rural NSW is to get vaccinated," Mr Barilaro said.
"Our health clinics, our pharmacy network and GP network are all providing the opportunity for vaccination in the regions. It's part of our freedom and part of our future."
In the far west, there are four more COVID-19 cases in Wilcannia where around 10 per cent of the population of 750 is infected.
Federal NSW Labor MP and Indigenous woman Linda Burney says it's almost impossible for people to isolate themselves in those communities because of overcrowding in houses.
"Some three or four-bedroom homes have 16, 17 people living in them, and my understanding is that people who have been diagnosed with the virus are being sent to isolate, but going back into very overcrowded conditions," she told the ABC on Tuesday.
"People should not have to set up tents in their front yards to comply," she said.
The federal government was warned in March 2020 "that this was an inevitability and now what was predicted back then is actually happening".
"My fear is that this will leak out of those communities and reach other vulnerable populations," she said.
NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said the failure of the federal government to vaccinate NSW Indigenous communities last year was "obviously disappointing"
However, urgent efforts were now underway to provide accommodation to quarantine COVID positive patients in remote communities.
"I think there's one motel from memory in Wilcannia and finding alternative accommodation has been challenging," he said.
The state government is trying to expedite planning approvals to build portable accommodation in Wilcannia to allow people who are positive to safely isolate themselves.
"It's very challenging and it certainly would have been preferable if the Indigenous community, the Aboriginal people across NSW had been vaccinated earlier," he said.
Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said NSW Health was very committed to ensuring high levels of vaccination in Indigenous communities and joint federal and state health teams were on-site at remote communities offering the jab.
"We are committed to ensuring that the Aboriginal coverage actually exceeds non-Aboriginal coverage," she said.
Of the 1164 new locally acquired cases in NSW 54 are from western NSW, 45 are from Nepean Blue Mountains, five are from Illawarra Shoalhaven, four are from the far west, four are from Central Coast and two are from the Hunter New England district.
There is also been one new case linked to the Bathurst jail, bringing the total number of cases there to seven - all staff members.
NSW Health is testing corrections to identify and isolate contacts and provide immunisation to staff and inmates.
