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NSW records 580 new COVID-19 cases as it nears 90 per cent single vaccination target

New South Wales recorded 580 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 on Saturday as the state nears its 90 per cent first-dose vaccination target.

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said there are 182 people with the virus in hospital and 163 people in intensive care.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet said it was important for unvaccinated residents book their appointments.

“We have the highest vaccination rate in the country and importantly we’re coming close on that first-dose mark to 90 per cent,” he told reporters.

The premier said the state could expect to see the daily case numbers and hospitalisations increase, as Greater Sydney emerges out of lockdown on Monday.

A series of restrictions are set to be lifted on Monday after the state hit the 70 per cent double-dose vaccination mark.

“That is a natural part of opening up and that’s why we’ve done this in a safe way and ensure that we haven’t done so until we’ve had that vaccination rates where we wanted it to be,” he said.

Investigations are also continuing into a new “strain” of the Delta variant, linked to a person who returned from overseas.

Dr Chant said how the new strain emerged and infiltrated the community in western Sydney is still under investigation.

“I want to reassure you that there’s nothing about this Delta strain from looking at the genomics that suggested it’s any more transmissible,” she said.

Source: sbs.com.au