Regional and remote communities cannot be complacent as the number of covid cases continues to skyrocket across the state, disrupting Christmas celebrations and holiday travel plans.

Figures released today reveal new cases in the Gilgandra, Walgett and Coonamble local government areas with one person identified in each.

They are among a total of 29 in the Western NSW Local Health District [Orange 16, Dubbo 4, Bathurst and Mudgee 2 each, Gulgong and Parkes 1 each] and 2,482 new cases recorded in NSW in the 24 hours to 8pm last night.

Of these, a total of 226 cases with the Omicron variant have been confirmed by the required additional testing in NSW. However, NSW Health advises that the Omicron variant of concern is most likely to account for the majority of today’s cases.

"With the high number of COVID-19 cases now in NSW, NSW Health will only undertake genomic sequencing for the Omicron variant in the circumstances where it will make a clinical difference to the care of a patient," a NSW Health spokesperson said earlier today.

"For instance, where it will inform treatment choices as some therapies work with Delta but not for Omicron, and in situations where it will inform public health action."

NSW Health encourages everyone who is eligible to book into a NSW Health vaccination clinic or another provider without delay through the COVID-19 vaccine clinic finder.

Everyone aged 18 years and older may now receive a booster five months after receiving their second dose of COVID-19 vaccine.

"We urge people to get their booster dose as soon as they are eligible, to best protect yourself, your loved ones and the community from the ongoing transmission of COVID-19," the spokesperson said.

"We also strongly recommend that people aged 12 years and over who are severely immunocompromised have a third primary dose of vaccine from two months after their second dose."

NSW Health continues to remind everyone across the community to continue to practice COVID-Safe behaviours, including wearing a mask in settings where you cannot physically distance.

If you are directed to get tested for COVID 19 or self-isolate at any time, you must follow the self-isolation rules.

If you have any COVID-19 symptoms, no matter how mild, get tested immediately and self-isolate until you receive a negative test result.