THE Hunter New England Health region has recorded its first death from COVID-19 after a 76-year-old man died in a Sydney hospital on Saturday.
The resident of the region had been a passenger on the controversy-stricken cruise ship the Ruby Princess.
The man was previously diagnosed with coronavirus and subsequently died from complications at the Westmead Hospital.
He was one of three passengers of the Ruby Princess to die over the weekend from COVID-19, taking the total death toll from the ship to 10 since it docked in Sydney on March 19.
Other passengers who died over the weekend were a 91-year-old male at Port Macquarie Base Hospital and a 80-year-old man at the Westmead Hospital.
There have been 600 confirmed cases of COVID-19, 342 of which are in NSW, from the 2,647 passengers and 1,148 crew on board the Ruby Princess.
NSW Police announced on Sunday that they have commenced an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the docking and disembarking of the Ruby Princess.
Hunter New England Local Health District offered its "sincere condolences to his [the man's] family and friends."
A Hunter New England Health spokeswoman said they were unable to release where the man lived in the region.
