A person from Lake Macquarie was among the latest to die with COVID-19, as the number of new positive cases recorded in the Hunter New England region remained stable.
The local health district had 1636 new infections recorded in the 24-hours to 8pm on Wednesday - the same number as the previous day - with 967 of those coming from rapid antigen tests and 669 from PCR tests.
There are 53 people with the virus in hospital - three of those patients are in intensive care.
A woman aged in her 80s from Lake Macquarie was among the 38 people with the virus to die across the state in the 24-hour period, NSW Health said.
There were 12,632 new positive test results throughout NSW in the same period - 7147 from RATs and 5485 from PCR tests.
There are 2578 COVID-19 patients in NSW hospitals - 160 of those in intensive care.
That was a drop from 2622 in hospital and 170 in ICU the previous day.
Meanwhile, the federal government announced on Thursday morning that the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) had approved Pfizer booster shots for 16-to-17-year-olds, three months after they have had their second dose.
"This includes those who were aged under 16 years when they received their last primary dose and are now aged 16 years," a statement from ATAGI said.
"This clinical recommendation aims to maximise protection for this age group who are at a critical point in their secondary education and early working lives.
"People in this age group are also very mobile and may engage in increased social mixing."
