NSW recorded 97 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Of these locally acquired cases, 63 are linked to a known case or cluster – 49 are household contacts and 14 are close contacts – and the source of infection for 34 cases remains under investigation.

Forty-six cases were in isolation throughout their infectious period and 17 cases were in isolation for part of their infectious period. Twenty-nine cases were infectious in the community, and the isolation status of five cases remains under investigation.

One new overseas-acquired case was recorded in the same period. The total number of cases in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic is now 6,527.

There have been 1,026 locally acquired cases reported since 16 June 2021, when the first case in the Bondi cluster was reported.

There are currently 75 COVID-19 cases admitted to hospital, with 18 people in intensive care, five of whom require ventilation.

There were 77,587 tests reported to 8pm last night, compared with the previous day’s total of 58,299.

NSW Health administered a record 22,568 COVID-19 vaccines in the 24 hours to 8pm last night, including 7,392 at the vaccination centre at Sydney Olympic Park.

The total number of vaccines administered in NSW is now 2,907,677 with 1,135,164 doses administered by NSW Health to 8pm last night and 1,772,513 administered by the GP network and other providers to 11.59pm on Wednesday 14 July.

Of the 97 locally acquired cases reported to 8pm last night, 67 are from South Western Sydney Local Health District (LHD), 14 are from South Eastern Sydney LHD, nine are from Western Sydney LHD, five are from Sydney LHD, one is from Northern Sydney LHD and one is from Nepean Blue Mountains LHD.

People in Greater Sydney must stay at home unless it is absolutely necessary to leave. You should only be shopping for essential items, and only leaving the house for as short a period of time as possible. We encourage people to shop online or use click and collect options. If you do leave home for an essential reason, remember to check into and out of anywhere you visit.

We are asking people not to seek exceptions to the stay-at-home rules, but instead to ensure they comply with them, in order to reduce the number of infectious cases of COVID-19 in the community.

Transmission in workplaces remains a concern. Everyone should work from home if possible. For essential workplaces:

• Limit the interaction and mixing of employees, prevent meetings and gatherings, and reduce the size of the groups.
• Masks are mandatory – including indoors and outdoors on construction sites.
• Remind everyone in the workplace that they must not attend if they have any cold-like symptoms. They need to get a test immediately and isolate until they get a negative result. They also need to check the NSW Government website every day for updated venues of concern in case they are a contact.

The high number of COVID-19 cases and exposure venues in the Fairfield Local Government Area (LGA) means Fairfield residents who work in other LGAs must now be tested for COVID-19 every three days, even if they do not have symptoms.

At this time, it is most important to focus on anyone with who has COVID-19 symptoms or is a close or casual contact of confirmed cases.

These people must immediately get tested as soon as possible. We ask you to please stay in the line when testing clinics are busy and identify yourself to staff and tell them that you have symptoms.

People who don’t have symptoms who will be travelling outside of the Fairfield area for work have until the end of today, Friday 16 July, to get tested.

These people, who do not have symptoms, do not need to wait for a negative test before going to work although they must carry proof of the test and then after today, they must get a test every three days.

NSW Health is now providing vaccinations to school staff within the Fairfield LGA where greater concern of COVID-19 transmission is ongoing.

A new vaccination centre for school staff in the Fairfield, Local Government Area is now open in Prairiewood.

The centre, which will provide up to 1,000 vaccinations a day, is open seven days a week from 8am to 6pm for this priority group.

Additionally, the NSW Health Sydney Olympic Park Mass Vaccination Centre is providing vaccinations to school staff who work in schools located in the Liverpool and Canterbury-Bankstown LGAs.

NSW Health is working with this priority group to co-ordinate their vaccination bookings. The Prairiewood centre is not open to the general public.

Initial plans to open the new vaccination centre at the Fairfield Showground were changed to a more suitable location at Prairiewood so as not to interfere with NSW Health’s 24-hour, 7-day COVID-19 testing clinic which opened at the Showground yesterday.

If you are directed to get tested for COVID‑19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the rules whether or not the venue or exposure setting is listed on the NSW Health website.

It remains vital that anyone who has any symptoms or is a close or casual contact of a person with COVID-19, isolates and is tested immediately. When testing clinics are busy, please ensure you stay in line, identify yourself to staff and tell them that you have symptoms or are a contact of a case.

Please check the NSW Government website regularly, and follow the relevant health advice if you have attended a venue of concern or travelled on a public transport route at the same time as a confirmed case of COVID-19. This list is being updated regularly as case investigations proceed.

There are more than 400 COVID-19 testing locations across NSW, many of which are open seven days a week. To find your nearest clinic visit: COVID-19 clinics or contact your GP.

Likely source of confirmed COVID-19 cases in NSW

Note: Case counts reported for a particular day may vary over time due to ongoing investigations and case review.

*notified from 8pm 14 July 2021 to 8pm 15 July 2021
**from 8pm 9 July 2021 to 8pm 15 July 2021

Video of today’s press conference will be uploaded to COVID-19 (Coronavirus) - press conferences and video updates.