
A Maitland man in his 70s and a Lake Macquarie woman in her 80s are the latest people to die with COVID-19 in the region.
The Hunter New England recorded the highest daily cases of the state's health districts once again on Friday, with 3128 infections reported in the 24 hours to 4pm Thursday.
There were 1255 positive PCR tests and 1873 positive results from rapid tests.
There are currently 66 cases being treated in Hunter New England hospitals, including one in intensive care.
Across the state there were eight COVID deaths and 20,396 cases.
There are currently 1,435 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital in NSW, including 44 people in intensive care, 13 of whom require ventilation.