Thirty-seven Hunter nursing homes are battling COVID outbreaks as new figures show the omicron wave's impact on residents and staffing.
A Newcastle Herald analysis of federal government statistics shows the affected nursing homes have a total of 182 positive tests among residents and 207 among staff.
The outbreaks had resulted in three deaths as of February 4.
The largest outbreaks in the Hunter are at Anglican Care Bulahdelah, where 20 residents and 13 staff have tested positive, Lara Aged Care at Dungog (20 residents and 22 staff), Maroba at Waratah (16 residents and 17 staff) and the Regis home at Corlette (13 residents and 13 staff).
The affected nursing homes are in urban areas such as Cooks Hill, Jesmond, Mount Hutton, Cessnock and East Maitland, rural towns such as Stroud, Scone and Gloucester and in the retirement havens of Hawks Nest and Salamander Bay.
Six of the 37 centres do not have positive tests yet among residents.
Twenty-eight of the 82 COVID deaths in the Hunter New England Health district over the past six months have been in aged care settings.
HNEH said on Wednesday that two more people, men in their 70s and 90s, had died with COVID in Cessnock and Newcastle.
The worst-affected nursing homes with current outbreaks in NSW are in western Sydney, where the Russian Relief Association of St Sergius of Radonezh at Cabramatta has had 118 residents test positive and 23 deaths.
Cardinal Stepinac Village in neighbouring St Johns Park has had 105 positive tests among residents and 16 deaths.
The number of COVID patients in HNEH hospitals fell from 50 to 47 on Wednesday. Four of the patients are in intensive care.
Hunter New England topped the state with 1550 positive tests in the 24 hours to 4pm on Tuesday.
The state hospital load dropped to 1906, the first time it has dipped under 2000 since January 9.
NSW recorded 10,312 positive tests, the most since Friday, and 20 deaths.
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