The New South Wales Central West is yet to record a case of COVID-19 this week, but the region's health chief is warning the crisis is far from over.
Seven infections have been detected across the Western NSW Local Health District in the latest reporting period, with six of them picked up after the Tuesday night deadline.
The new cases are at Walgett, Wellington and Bourke.
"There are some positives in that, but we still can't afford to think that we're totally out of the woods with this," Mr McLachlan said.
"We know that COVID is still creeping around our region."
Orange has not recorded a new infection since last Saturday, despite several residents testing positive more than a week ago.
There also have not been any cases detected in Oberon and Mudgee since last week.
"There is a decreasing risk of COVID circulating in Orange, but I would say it's definitely not passed, Mr McLachlan said.
"We know that the last cases have been infectious in the community in the last week or 10 days."
"I certainly wouldn't say it's time to relax."
Vaccination delivers victory
The LHD said around three-quarters of the current patients with coronavirus had not received any dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.
Mr McLachlan said the region's high vaccination rates were helping to halt daily numbers.
The Western LHD said the rate of first doses across the region was well above 90 per cent, but some communities, such as Cobar, were still not yet at 80 per cent for both jabs.
Orange and Dubbo are "well above" the 80 per cent target for double doses.
Almost 140 people are still being cared for in their homes by the Western LHD, but there is no longer any COVID-19 patient in hospital.
"What we're seeing now is much more regional spread of COVID than there is in Greater Sydney, so I don't think we should be so worried about Sydney people travelling into our region to spread COVID," Mr McLachlan said.
"There is a lot of COVID across other parts of regional NSW as well."
