A woman in her 20s has tested positive after returning from Sydney, the health authority revealed on Wednesday morning. She will be counted in the official state figures on Thursday.

Five more people have died of COVID-19, it was revealed at the mid-week COVID-19 update, premier Gladys Berejiklian said, and 1035 new cases of the virus were found across the state in the 24 hours to 8pm on Tuesday.

More than nine million vaccines have been administered in NSW, with 54.3 per cent of the population over 15 now fully-vaccinated, Ms Berejiklian said.

In other news

NSW Health did not reveal new cases in the Murrumbidgee local health district, however Albury's mayor told The Border Mail that the city has recorded another case and the MLHD confirmed it just after 11am.

There are concerns for the Illawarra Shoalhaven, as COVID detections rise with another 64 cases in the 24 hours to 8pm Turesday.

Elsewhere in the regions, the Nepean Blue Mountains local health district [LHD] recorded 64 new cases, Hunter New England another 45, the Central Coast has found 35, nine more in Western NSW, five in Southern NSW, three in the Far West and one in the Mid North Coast LHD.

The detection in Albury will count towards the MLHD's figures to 8pm today [Wednesday].

Contact tracing is under way to identify close and casual contacts as well as venues of concern. The woman is currently in home isolation.

"A second case, a man in his 50s who was travelling through the region has been confirmed positive, and is currently isolating and being cared for in special health accommodation," MLHD said.

In the Central West, sewage surveillance has detected fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the treatment plant at Oberon.

Griffith can breathe a sigh of relief as follow-up sewage testing has returned a negative result. Further testing was carried out after a positive ping was announced by NSW Health at the weekend.

Thousands of people have turned out for vaccination in the Riverina in the last week, and health authorities are urging more young people to come forward for the jab.

The push comes after a sharp rise in younger cases in the outbreak from the Hilltops region, where at least four people under the age of 18 have contracted the virus.

The interstate, trans-Tasman situation

"As we saw in the numbers today we've got quite a high proportion of children who are catching COVID-19 and they can become very, very ill, particularly the little ones so let's all get those children vaccinated and a big push for our high school children as well," MLHD chief executive Jill Ludford said on Tuesday.

The Albury local government area was plunged back into stay-at-home orders on Thursday, just days after statewide lockdown was eased in some regional areas.

Hilltops has been in lockdown again since Friday, when several cases emerged in Young and were transferred to Wagga Base Hospital. There are now 12 cases in the Hilltops region.

Its neighbouring council, Cowra, followed suit on Monday after a nine-year-old was diagnosed with COVID-19.

More on the pandemic

Vaccination rates in the region are steadily rising, with almost half the region over 15 now fully-vaccinated.

As of Sunday, 49.3 per cent of Riverina residents over 15 have received both doses of a COVID vaccine, up more than 10 per cent on the previous week.

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