The Riverina figures account for more than 1 in 10 of the cases announced for NSW on Friday morning. Three people died and 249 fresh COVID detections were made statewide in the 24 hours to 8pm on Thursday.

A fully-vaccinated woman aged in her 90s who died at the Mercy Place centre in Albury also acquired her infection there, NSW Health and the MLHD revealed. She is the sixth death linked to an outbreak at the facility.

A woman aged in her 80s also succumbed to the virus at the Southern Cross Care centre in Albury. She had received one dose of a vaccine and is the first death linked to that venue.

"The Murrumbidgee LHD wishes to express its deepest condolences to the family, friends and loved ones impacted," MLHD said in a statement on Friday.

In other news

One of the cases detected in the MLHD was a resident of the Federation local government area [LGA], and the remaining 28 reside in the Albury LGA.

The health district has urged residents, particularly the region's youth aged between 12 and 15, to continue to present for vaccination.

"Vaccination is the best way to protect our kids, families and the wider community from COVID-19. This is an important step in getting our community back to a 'COVID-normal' environment and importantly, to protect others who may be more vulnerable to illness," it said.

Fragments of the virus that causes COVID-19 have been found in sewage surveillance in Mulwala, Corowa and West Wyalong in the last 24 hours, the MLHD said.

The wait is now on to see if any cases emerge after a COVID-positive person attended a church gathering on Sunday, which prompted NSW Health to publicly list it as a venue of concern on Wednesday night.

Anyone who was at the Inspire Church on Kooringal Road between 10.45am and 12.30pm on Sunday is considered a casual contact and must get tested for COVID-19. Anyone who was at the venue on Sunday outside those hours need to monitor for symptoms.

Church leaders say they feel discriminated against over the listing, which is the first Wagga venue to be declared outside of notifications on the Service NSW app in weeks.

MLHD's COVID-19 coordinator Emma Field said it was "a benefit to the community" for it to be announced this way, while Inspire's Pastor Brennan McMartin said the messaging has been unnecessarily confusing.

The interstate, trans-Tasman situation

MLHD's COVID-19 coordinator Emma Field said it was "a benefit to the community" for it to be announced this way, while Inspire's Pastor Brennan McMartin said the messaging has been unnecessarily confusing.

Pastor McMartin said there was a lot of confusion when the church was announced as an exposure site, with people who attended on Sunday outside the specified timeframe incorrectly notified.

He said they feel singled-out as a church being labelled a high-risk site, especially because they can welcome vaccinated and unvaccinated people through their doors.

"It does feel a bit discriminative and name-shaming," Pastor McMartin said.

More on the pandemic

Anyone experiencing, or who has recently experienced even mild cold-like symptoms, is urged to come forward for testing and isolate until a negative result is received.

Common symptoms of COVID-19 include fever, cough, sore throat, shortness of breath, runny nose and loss of taste or smell.

Other symptoms include fatigue, acute blocked nose (congestion), muscle pain, joint pain, headache, diarrhoea, nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, unexplained chest pain and conjunctivitis.

The MLHD's drive-through testing site at Equex will pack up for the last time today as the authority closes the site.

"As part of MLHD's testing surge capacity, a new drive-through will be opened if the need arises," the MHD reassured residents.

Testing in Wagga remains available at the MLHD's Murray Street testing clinic between 9am and 4pm daily, at Laverty Pathology's drive-through site in the Riverina Playhouse car park off Tarcutta and Cross streets from 8am daily, and at the GP-led respiratory clinic at Glenrock in Glenfield Park between 9am and 5pm weekdays.

For further testing locations across the district go to www.mlhd.health.nsw.gov.au, or for help accessing a test call the Murrumbidgee COVID-19 Hotline 1800 831 099.

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