Hunter covid case numbers continue to climb, with one death and an additional 674 infections recorded overnight.
The Newcastle LGA has had the bulk of the infections, 308 in total; Lake Macquarie also saw triple digits with 190.
674 confirmed COVID-19 cases in HNE
– 2122 active cases.
– 12 active in hospital, 3 in ICU.
– 1 death. pic.twitter.com/aZjHpT7a5V— HNE Health (@HNEHealth) December 17, 2021
An unvaccinated woman in her 60s from the Northern Tablelands sadly passed away at St Vincents Hospital in Sydney. She had underlying health conditions.
Across the Hunter New England Health District there were 12 people in hospital, while three were in ICU.
It comes as New South Wales Health has expanded its list of Newcastle venues exposed to the virus.
Anyone who attended the following sites at the listed times should monitor for symptoms and get tested immediately and isolate, if they present.
- The Great Northern Hotel from 12.01 Saturday 11 December until close.
- Finnegan’s Hotel from 7pm Saturday 11 December until close.
- The Cambridge Hotel from 7pm Saturday 11 December until close, and 6pm Sunday 12 December until close.
At least 50 people – many likely infected with the omicron variant – were at the above venues at these times.
It comes as more clubs and bars across Newcastle have shuttered up until after the Christmas break.
Elsewhere in the state, there were 96 new infections for the Northern New South Wales Local Health District which is a new record for that area.
A further 88 were reported for the Central Coast, more than doubling yesterday’s case load.
There were 30 from the Mid North Coast.
We’ll bring you the latest on the Newcastle covid outbreak, along with your your local information tonight at 6pm.
