NSW has reported a record 1431 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and 12 deaths, with the premier warning cases will peak in the next fortnight.
The 12 deaths in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday include a woman in her 30s as well as one in their 60s, seven in their 70s, two in their 80s and one in their 90s.
Nine of those who died were from southwest Sydney, including the woman in her 30s who died in her home.
"Many of those (who) died today are older, did have existing comorbidities and were unvaccinated or had one dose," Deputy Chief Health Officer Marianne Gale said on Friday.
The death toll for the current NSW outbreak is now 119.
"We anticipate a peak in cases in the next fortnight," Premier Gladys Berejiklian told reporters.
"But as I have said, it is not the number of cases we need to be focusing on but how many of those cases end up in our intensive care wards and hospitals and how many people we have vaccinated."
There are 979 people being treated in hospital for COVID, with 160 people in ICU - 127 of which were not vaccinated.
There are almost 11,000 people with COVID-19 who are being cared for by NSW Health, with most of them being cared for at home.
Among the new cases are a staff member and patient from the maternity unit of Sydney's Northern Beaches Hospital.
A cluster at Parklea prison in Sydney's northwest has reached 96 cases.
A social housing unit block in Camperdown in Sydney's inner west and another building in Wollongong have also been locked down after some of the residents tested positive.
In regional NSW, there were 53 cases recorded in the state's west, with Bourke recording its highest number so far with 11 cases. Some 31 cases were recorded in Dubbo, with seven new cases in Wilcannia in the far west.
There are also concerns about the virus being detected in sewage plants in a number of places with no known cases such as Jindabyne, Bega, Bomaderry, Cooma, Wauchope and Blayney.
More than seven million jabs have been administered in NSW to date, constituting 70 per cent first-dose vaccination coverage for those aged 16 or over.
Ms Berejiklian said eased restrictions would come into effect immediately upon hitting the 70 and 80 per cent double-dose jab goals.
Residents of Sydney's coronavirus hotspots are now allowed to exercise as much as they like outside of curfew hours, after a one-hour limit was lifted.
However, Ms Berejiklian said no restrictions would be eased for Father's Day on Sunday.
The premier said her government would next week release its detailed plans for the health system as COVID-19 cases accumulate in the coming months, with the system coming under the most pressure in October.
While the NSW health system can surge to 2000 ICU beds and an equivalent number of ventilators, unions and frontline healthcare staff have expressed concerns that staffing levels are not sufficient to manage this scenario.
Meanwhile, seven men have been fined more than $30,000 for breaching public health orders by leaving Sydney and canvassing for work in the Lake Macquarie area.
Multiple public health order breaches at a Waverley construction site - including failing to wear masks - have also prompted $13,500 in fines.
