A man has died with COVID-19 in the Hunter New England local health district, which recorded 2544 new cases of the virus in the 24 hours to 4pm on Monday.
The latest daily figure was up from 2158 and 2388 in the previous two days, respectively.
A man aged in his 80s from Port Stephens was among the 12 people who died across NSW during the latest reporting period.
There are 69 people with COVID-19 in Hunter New England hospitals, including seven who are receiving intensive care.
Of the latest cases, 2110 were detected by rapid antigen tests and 434 by PCR tests.
NSW had 19,183 new cases during the 24-hour period.
There are 1467 COVID-19 patients in hospitals across the state, with 56 in ICU.
