COVID-19 outbreak on NSW-Victoria border

A COVID-19 outbreak continues to bubble away on the NSW border with Victoria, as the NSW premier hints that freedoms could be restored sooner than expected.

The Murrumbidgee Local Health District recorded the second-highest number of cases on Tuesday, accounting for 45 of the state’s 282 infections.

Some 40 of those cases were in the Albury local government area. There is also a rise in cases in Wodonga across the Murray River in Victoria.

The Murrumbidgee district has recorded 393 cases and two deaths since the start of the Delta outbreak. Albury was the location of 301 of those cases.

The district’s daily case numbers have exceeded 40 for three consecutive days, after the surge began in earnest in mid-October.

With regional areas like Albury soon to welcome back travellers from Sydney, Premier Dominic Perrottet on Tuesday hinted other freedoms may also be restored soon.

Regional travel is slated to get the green light on November 1, after being delayed due to lagging vaccination numbers in the regions.

In Albury, vaccination numbers are below the state average – while more than 95 per cent of over-16s have received their first dose, 79.9 per cent were fully vaccinated by Sunday. That’s about five points below the state average.

Mr Perrottet says his COVID economic recovery committee will be examining “aspects of the roadmap” this week.

“The vaccination rates have provided an opportunity to revisit some areas and we will look at that,” he said.

The state exceeded 12 million COVID-19 jabs on Tuesday.

Of the NSW residents aged 16 and over, 93.2 per cent have received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and 85.5 per cent of adults are fully vaccinated.

In the 12-15-year-old age group, 78 per cent have had their first dose and 53 per cent are fully vaccinated.