Two more Sydneysiders have died from coronavirus, health officials announced on Monday afternoon.
That brings the total number of deaths in NSW from the recent outbreak which began on June 16 to 10.
NSW Health confirmed that the two fatalities were a man and a woman who were both aged in their 80s.
Emergency personnel are pictured arriving at the scene in Pendle Hill where a woman in her 80s died of Covid
Police are parked outside the Pendle Hill home in Sydney where a woman in her 80s tragically died of Covid-19
A man in his 80s sadly died from Covid at Campbelltown Hospital (pictured) on Monday
‘NSW Health this afternoon sadly reports the COVID-19 related deaths of two people,’ a spokesperson said.
‘A woman in her 80s has passed away at home this afternoon in Pendle Hill.
‘A man in his 80s has passed away this morning in Campbelltown Hospital.
‘These are the ninth and tenth COVID-19 related deaths of the current outbreak, with 66 in NSW since the beginning of the pandemic.’
A Pendle Hill home was the centre the centre of a major Covid breach over the weekend, when a 50 grieving family members allegedly broke Sydney’s lockdown restrictions for a gathering.
So far there have been 28 people from the gathering that have now contracted Covid-19.
It is not yet known whether the this event and the death of the Pendle Hill woman are linked.
The heartbreaking news comes after the death of Adriana Midori Takara on Sunday, a 38-year-old Brazilian student who was living in Sydney’s CBD and in the final year of a Masters degree in accounting.
A second woman, aged in her 70s, was also announced dead from Covid that same day.
Adriana Midori Takara, 38 (pictured), returned a positive test for the highly infectious Indian Delta variant on July 15 and succumbed to her illness less than two weeks later
Sydney recorded 145 new Covid-19 cases on overnight, with 51 people out in the community while infectious.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian told a press conference on Monday morning that the source of the infection for 79 of the new cases is still under investigation.
Fifty-five of the cases are linked to household contacts of known cases, and nine were other close contacts.
Chief Health Officer Dr Kerry Chant said the number of unvaccinated people over the age of 60 is ‘distressing’ and urged everyone in the age bracket to make an appointment immediately.
It is not yet known if the two latest death had received a jab or if they had any underlying medical conditions.
‘When I review the numbers, to see how few over even 60-year-olds and over 70-year-olds we have managed to reach,’ Dr Chant said.
‘For me, anyone who is over 60 or over 70 should be going to their doctor as a matter of urgency, or their pharmacist which will be opening up across the state in coming days and get a dose of vaccine.’
Pictured: A woman in a face mask walking in Covid-ravged Sydney on Monday morning
Pictured: Commuters in Sydney waiting for a tram in the CBD on Monday morning
Dr Chant speculated that NSW could administer more than 350,000 vaccines a day if there were no issues with supplies, but that the state would have to make do with the current shortage of Pfizer.
‘There are priority groups, some of which are the responsibility of the Commonwealth, such as disability and aged care that we want to make sure are absolutely vaccinated,’ she said.
She also said the jab will be available on a walk-in basis in some health clinics in an effort to target vulnerable groups, in a policy shift that will be announced on Tuesday.
It is unclear as to whether people under 40 will be able to get AstraZeneca without an appointment.
Ms Berejiklian said she ‘argued my little heart out’ for more Pfizer jabs during national cabinet on Friday, but that health authorities would focus on the distribution of the jabs – ensuring they are given to young workers, which Dr Chant agreed with.
Two more Sydneysiders have died from coronavirus , health officials announced on Monday afternoon. Pictured: ICU staff are seen at St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney, on July 13, 2021
‘It makes sense. The only people that are actually moving about are those essential workers,’ the health officer said.
‘People that are working in logistics and distribution, critical workers that come from that area that supports Sydney and even NSW and beyond.
‘It is important that we consider how vaccinating that group would potentially prevent transmission.’
Ms Berejiklian did not specify whether Greater Sydney would come out of lockdown after July 30, but her government has requested financial modelling that would assess the devastating effect of extending the restrictions to September 17.
‘Please be assured that our mission is to keep the community safe as possible, while allowing people to live as freely as possible,’ she said.
‘In the next few days we will continue to look at the existing settings to give people certainty on what life in New South Wales beyond July 31 looks like.
‘It is really important for people not to leave home unless they absolutely have to and, in particular, do not mingle.’