Covid 19 coronavirus Australia: Man in his 30s dies in his home in NSW outbreak

Gladys Berejiklian urged people to get vaccinated saying they could be left behind when the state opens up again. Photo / Getty

A man in his 30s is one of three new deaths from Covid-19 in New South Wales as the Australian state recorded another 1029 cases today, the highest ever daily number.

Concerningly, all three died at home after their conditions deteriorated.

In addition to the man in his 30s, a man in his 60s and another man in his 80s lost their lives to the virus.

NSW chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant said they were all being cared for by the western Sydney health department and their deaths would be referred to the coroner.

"They all deteriorated at home," she said.

"With Covid you can deteriorate. So, if you've got any change in your breathing, difficulty breathing, dizziness, or your condition is deteriorating, do not hesitate."

On Wednesday a lung specialist working on the frontline of the Covid-19 crisis in Sydney's west said anyone experiencing breathlessness should call an ambulance immediately.

Dr Lucy Morgan gave a harrowing play-by-play on how people conditions could deteriorate and said dizziness and breathlessness were vital signs a person required urgent assistance.

"Don't ring up and make a GP appointment (if you're experiencing breathlessness), call an ambulance because these other sorts of symptoms and signs tell me that the Covid-19 illness is progressing and progressing quickly," she said.

Gladys Berejiklian urged people to get vaccinated saying they could be left behind when the state opens up again. Photo / Getty

"As people become increasingly breathless, the oxygen in their blood starts to drop and they need increasing levels of extra support to keep those oxygen levels up."

Dr Morgan said people would likely need a ventilator "to do the breathing for them" after this point.

Thursday marked the first time daily case numbers of surpassed the 1000 mark. Of the new cases, 844 were mystery infections.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said more than 136,000 people had been vaccinated in the past 24 hours, providing a small glimmer of hope for residents.

She also noted that 80 per cent of cases remained in Sydney's southwest and western suburbs where priority Pfizer vaccines were being offered to young people.

Berejiklian urged people to get vaccinated saying they could be left behind when the state opens up again.

"When you start opening at 70 per cent there are certain activities that only vaccinated people can do," she said.

"We note that while a certain proportion of the population are vaccinated, that poses a risk to too many people and for that reason we are asking industry to bust out Covid-19 safety plans and get QR codes ready.

"We are working on an app in NSW that will allow you to sign into a venue with proof of vaccination all in one to make it as simple as possible."

Of the new cases 403 were from western Sydney and 309 were from Sydney's southwest.

The NSW premier announced some new freedoms from September 13 for vaccinated residents. Photo / Getty

The lockdown for regional NSW has been extended to September 10 with several Covid spotfires sprinkled across the state.

There were 35 new infections in western NSW including 25 in Dubbo, two in Bathurst, two in Bourke, one in Forbes, one in Mudgee and one in Parkes.

Dr Chant warned that the outbreak still hadn't reached its peak.

"Clearly we're at a thousand cases and I would indicate to you that the numbers may well go way above a thousand cases," she said.

"We know how infectious Delta is and it will rip through any unvaccinated areas."

The premier also announced some new freedoms from September 13 for vaccinated residents.

The new rules will be different for people inside coronavirus hotspots and those outside those areas.

But in all areas adults who take advantage of the eased rules must be fully vaccinated with two doses and be able to prove their vaccination status if asked by an official.

For people outside of local government areas (LGAs) of concern, the rule changes will mean fully vaccinated people can gather outside in groups of up to five (including adults and children) but the gathering must take place in their LGA or within 5km from home.

For people in LGAs of concern, the rule changes will mean fully vaccinated adults can gather outside for one hour of recreation per day which includes for picnics - this is in addition to the hour allocated for exercise.

The outdoor activity can be a picnic, not just exercise.

The rest of the restrictions still apply, meaning there's a limit of two people unless the people gathering are all from the same household.

The gathering must take place outside curfew hours.