Daily case numbers have pushed "disturbingly high" in NSW, nearing 500 as the state recorded seven deaths in the past 24 hours.
NSW recorded 478 cases from 157,000 tests in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday. The state also recorded seven deaths.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said only two had received one dose of the vaccine, with the other five unvaccinated.
It was not immediately clear how many were active in the community despite lockdown across the entire state.
READ MORE:
NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said Merrylands, Blacktown, Mt Druitt, Greenacre and Bankstown were among the Sydney suburbs where growth in case numbers continued to grow.
"Please know that when you get vaccinated it takes two to three weeks for that first vaccination to take effect," she said.
"Make sure you continue to follow the rules as strictly as you can.
"We just want people to stay still."
Fresh exposure sites were named overnight in Jesmond, Mayfield, Hamilton and more in the Hunter, while Jesmond Grove aged care on Sunday confirmed a fourth COVID case in a patient.
Concerns are also high in Port Stephens, where Hunter New England Health public health physician Dr David Durrheim on Sunday said Raymond Terrace, Medowie and Williamtown had viral loads in sewage "as high as anywhere we've seen in NSW".
