Admissions to hospital in New South Wales have dipped to the lowest they have been in two months as the state records 273 COVID-19 cases and four deaths.
There are now 589 people in hospital, with 128 of them in ICU and 69 of whom require ventilation.
NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said 92.1 per cent of people aged over 16 years have had their first COVID-19 vaccine dose and 80.8 per cent have been double-dosed.
Dr Chant said health authorities were still anticipating a lag in infection numbers as the state continues to open up.
"There are a lot of uncertainties about what case numbers will do," she said.
"We would believe they would go up, as we have more interactions … to some extent it is about how people behave responsibly as we open up.
"Next week, I will be really interested in what our numbers are".
It is the first time since August 23 that total current admissions to hospital have dropped below 600 and Dr Chant said "the numbers speak for themselves".
"It has been a very busy time, but pleasingly we have seen those case numbers in ICU go down.
"But this will not mean they have much of a breather … we also have business as usual."
Of today's deaths, two were unvaccinated, one had received one dose and the other had only "just recently" received her second dose.
"Sadly, we are seeing people [who] have got underlying health conditions that are not yet vaccinated," Dr Chant said.
The Chief Health Officer said the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) had recommended third doses for people who may be undergoing treatments that can compromising their immune system.
"Those people [who] might be undergoing chemotherapy, those people [who] are on renal dialysis, taking medications that suppress your immune system, you actually need three doses, not two," she said.
There were 90,597 tests conducted in the reporting period.
