As newly-identified covid cases drop to just 8 across the Western Local Health District, CEO Scott McLachlan warns that failure to take Stay-at-Home orders seriously is creating a higher risk of future outbreaks in the west.

"Case numbers have dropped but the decreasing number of tests being undertaken possible means there are more cases not identified in the community," he said. "We still can't relax. We know just how infectious this Delta variant is and how seriously it attacks people's systems."

There was one death in the region yesterday of a man in his 70s who had received a single dose of the vaccine but had "significant underlying health issues."

Mr McLachlan said the sad loss of life was a stark reminder of just how serious the virus is.

Yesterday's figures announced this morning 5 October, are believed to be a reflection of the "new record low" testing rates across the district. Half of the 8 cases were in Wellington, two in Narromine and one each in Dubbo and Cowra.

While Mr McLachlan cited Cowra as a success story due to high compliance with social isolation and strong testing rates, he highlighted Narromine, Bourke and Wellington as "areas of real concern."

"In the last week to ten days we have seen a lot of people infectious in the community and there are still too many people moving around," he said.

"There's a lot of movement between houses and people not staying in isolation when they should be."

"This includes people with covid or who are close contacts sharing covid with others," Mr McLachlan said. "We're seeing a really high risk of continuing spread."

The danger of assuming symptoms are hay-fever related was also mentioned.

"We are heading into a risky period," Mr McLachlan said. "Don't brush it off as just hay fever, please come and get tested."

"Please take every precaution," he said. "Don't mess around with covid creeping around our communities."

He acknowledged that, in communities like Bourke where residents have endured the lockdown for an extended period, "everyone's becoming a bit tired and weary of lockdown and stay at home orders."

He also pleaded for people to be sensible and to use this time to slow the spread of covid in our communities.

"As we head towards the 70% state milestone we know there will be changes and people will start to move around more," Mr McLachlan said. "We need to slow the spread and get as many people vaccinated as possible."

He said that whether or not the so-called 'freedom day' was 11 October or days earlier as has been cited as the preference of the state's new Premier Perrottet, the changes are coming.

"We know with the releasing of restrictions we know there will be more people with covid circulating in our region so again it will be a real time for caution," he said.

"Please don't think you can walk down the street and be absolutely free and safe."

"We're all going to have to think about what we do to keep each other safe with the really high risk of broader outbreaks in western NSW."