HOSPITALISATIONS due to COVID-19 infection have again spiked in the Western NSW Local Health District (WNSWLHD) this week, with today's numbers more than double what they were on Monday (14 March).

However, the more detrimental symptoms of the virus do not seem to be as widespread, with patients in intensive care not seeing similar increases as of yet.

In addition, while cases across the LHD have seen similar increases this week, the number of active cases in the Western Plains seems to be about the same to what it was a couple of weeks ago.

After hovering between 10 and 15 hospitalisations over the previous week, this number jumped from 14 reported on Monday to 23 reported on Tuesday 15 March.

This number rose again to 32 reported on Wednesday 16 March and increased slightly further in today's (Thursday 17 March) reported numbers of 36 in WNSWLHD hospitals up to 4pm on Wednesday.

Despite this, patients in ICU have not seen similar spikes, only increasing from one to two in Wednesday's reporting and falling back to zero in today's numbers.

There has been one further death recorded from the central west in the past week, a man in his 60s who had received one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and had significant underlying health conditions.

However, every day since, there have been five further deaths recorded from confirmed cases of the virus across the state, most of whom were older and all had underlying health conditions.

NSW Health continues to maintain vaccination - including booster shots - remain the best defence against serious illness caused by the virus.

According to the latest data, more than 95 per cent of people aged 16 and over across NSW have received their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine while 94.5 per cent have received two doses to Tuesday 15 March 2022.

Of people aged 16 plus, 57.6 per cent have now received a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.

Meanwhile, 83.5 per cent of children aged 12-15 have received a first dose and 79.1 per cent have received two doses, and 48.6 per cent of children aged 5-11 have received their first dose.

Positive test results for the virus have also climbed in recent days in the WNSWLHD.

On Monday and Tuesday, there were less than 100 new positive test results recorded and under 200 Rapid Antigen Tests in the LHD from the previous 24 hours.

Yesterday, however, this climbed to 234 positive PCR test results and 748 positive Rapid Antigen Test results identified. In today's reporting, there were 243 positive PCR test results and 424 positive RAT results.

Note, there may be some cases where people have reported multiple positive RAT results and/or also had a positive PCR test during the same reporting period, resulting in duplicates.

According to the latest NSW Health data to Wednesday 16 March, there were 527 active COVID-19 cases in the Western Plains. Active cases are defined as people who have tested positive in the past 14 days.

Broken down into LGA's, this includes 30 in Walgett, 24 in Brewarrina, 20 in Bourke, 97 in Cobar, 51 in Bogan, 69 in Lachlan, 67 in Narromine, 22 in Gilgandra, 33 in Warren, 27 in Coonamble and 87 in Warrumbungle.