NSW Covid Updates: 818 new cases and three deaths

Vaccination rates in children will influence when students can go back to school, authorities have said, as NSW recorded 818 new cases and three deaths. Read our Covid blog.

• This coronavirus article is unlocked and free to read in the interest of community health and safety. Click here for full digital access for just $5 per month for the first 3 months.

NSW has recorded 818 new Covid cases and three more deaths but the Premier says the state's vaccine target is a "week ahead of schedule".

The latest fatalities include two men and one woman, all aged in their 80s with underlying medical conditions.

NSW recorded 818 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Of these locally acquired cases, 120 are linked to a known case or cluster – 94 are household contacts & 26 are close contacts – & the source of infection for 698 is under investigation. pic.twitter.com/Dgm4sWNMXH

— NSW Health (@NSWHealth) August 23, 2021

The state's vaccine rollout is surging ahead of target with 5.9 million jabs now delivered, Premier Gladys Berejiklian revealed on Monday.

"I set a target of six million by the end of the month. We will be at least one week ahead of schedule," she said.

There are currently 586 people battling Covid in hospital with 100 in the ICU and 32 on ventilators. None of the patients in intensive care have received two doses of the vaccine.

New restrictions have also been announced for workplaces and authorised workers in the 12 Sydney hotspots LGAs. 

• Childcare workers and disability support workers must have their first vaccine dose by August 30
• Authorised workers who work outside an LGA of concern can only work if rapid antigen testing is implemented at their worksite or if they have had their first vaccine by August 30
• Authorised workers must carry a Service NSW permit declaring they cannot work from home from August 28
• Anyone entering a hotspot LGA from August 28 for work must carry a Service NSW permit
• Surveillance testing is no longer mandatory for workers in the Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland and Fairfield LGAs

Follow below for Monday morning's updates.

Originally published as NSW Covid Updates: 818 new cases and three deaths