NSW Again broke its record for COVID-19 infections with 681 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian announced the extended lockdown to August 28 on Thursday morning.

"In western New South Wales, we remain concerned with the cases bubbling along, especially around Wilcannia, Dubbo...things are settling down in other parts of regional NSW, which is positive, but concerns remain for western NSW," Ms Berejiklian said.

"I want to announce...given the outbreak in western NSW and a few cases elsewhere throughout the regions, at the lockdown in a regional NSW will align with the rest of NSW until at least August 28. All of NSW until at least August 28.

"Although regional NSW will also remain in lockdown as a precaution for this time. There are vast areas of regional NSW where they are not any cases, but everybody would appreciate and expect us to take a precautionary response, given we have the opportunity to get down to zero cases in the regions. That is what we want to achieve, and therefore we take that precaution and response."

The Western NSW Local Health District recorded 25 new cases.

The "snap 7-day lockdown" was originally due to end this Saturday evening.

"Due to ongoing concerns about community transmission, stay-at-home orders in place for regional NSW will be extended until at least 12.01am on 28 August, in line with existing orders for the Greater Sydney area," a NSW Health statement said.

Murrumbidgee Local health District has recorded zero COVID-19 cases in the four weeks to 8pm on Wednesday night as a result of 27,574 tests performed, including 8694 tests in the Wagga local government area.

COVID fragments have not been detected in sewage testing across the Riverina, which includes surveillance sites at Wagga, Gundagai, Griffith, Hay and Deniliquin.

Deputy Premier John Barilaro said the government's crisis committee made a decision overnight to extend the lockdown of regional and rural NSW to be in line with Greater Sydney to August 28.

"The decision was based on numbers we have just heard. Inner West NSW - 25 new cases overnight spread in areas like Bathurst, Warriner, Dubbo, and Mudgee. It took the total cases in that area, active cases, to 167...It is starting to show clearly that there are concerns still in regional NSW," he said.

Mr Barilaro said it was important for regional NSW to "stay in front of the curve" of infections.

"My message is to state vigilant, get tested if you have symptoms," he said.

"Those extra three cases overnight and Wilcannia continue to be worrying as we see escalation of cases in that region for Western, Far West, and now southern NSW. Get tested if you do not feel well. Get vaccinated.

We have AstraZeneca and Pfizer available across the state at many access points, so get online, book and, get vaccinated."

Mr Barilaro said the Royal Flying Doctors had been assisting to administer hundreds of vaccinations per day in Wilcannia, including 230 doses on Saturday.

Wednesday saw a record number of people vaccinated and nearly 120,000 people get tested across NSW.

"Yesterday was a record of 110,000 people in NSW who got the jab, who were vaccinated. That is a phenomenal outcome," Ms Berejiklian said.

"To date, 5.5 million jabs have been given in NSW, 52 per cent of the population has had at least one dose, and 28 per cent of us are fully vaccinated.

"We want to see these numbers climb as quickly as possible. Thank you to everyone coming forward to get vaccinated. 119,000 people came forward in the last 24 hours for testing. 681 cases of community transmission. 59, at least, infectious in the community during that time."

A man aged in his 80s died at St George Hospital in the last 24 hours.

"He had had one dose of the vaccine and had underlying health conditions. We extend our deepest sympathies to that man and his family," Ms Berejiklian said.

Ms Berejiklian was unable to guarantee that all students would be able to return to school during term three.

"I don't want to say anything until we have the concrete plans in place. But I will say that we won't compromise the health and safety of our children. We need to get the adult vaccination rates higher to have the it in term four and Term three possibly. But these are matters that we're looking at right now," she said.

"But it's important first and foremost to support our Year 12s doing the HSC across the state. They're required to sit the public examinations and I'm as keen as anything, as a priority, to make sure that our students really safe and sit their exams, attain the HSC and look forward to a much brighter 2022."

Ms Berejiklian was also questioned about reopening schools to all students on a region-by-region basis.

"It really depends on what the case numbers are doing in regional and rural communities when we're moving forward. We have used a model in the past where there's been a separation between Greater Sydney and the regions and if that is safe from a health perspective, we'll continue to do that," she said.

"But it depends on the health advice. What I want to say to the rural and regional communities especially in relation to schools is keep working hard, keep coming forward and getting tested and getting vaccinated.

"The lower the incidents of disease in the regions means that there are greater opportunities. But that's advice we'll take from the experts."

The new cases exceed the previous record of 478 new cases on Sunday night and 633 cases on Tuesday night.

NSW has started its fifth full day of statewide lockdown following the snap announcement on Saturday afternoon.

There are currently 474 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 82 people in intensive care, 25 of whom require ventilation.

Of the 861 locally acquired cases, 170 are linked to a known case or cluster - 149 are household contacts and 21 are close contacts - and the source of infection for 511 cases is under investigation.

Out of the new cases, 291 are from Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 172 are from South Western Sydney LHD, 74 are from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD, 63 are from Sydney LHD, 29 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, 25 are from Western NSW LHD, 14 are from Northern Sydney LHD, five are from Hunter New England LHD, one is from Central Coast LHD, one is from Mid North Coast LHD, one is from Southern NSW LHD, and five cases are yet to be assigned to an LHD.

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