NSW has recorded yet another COVID-19 death and an outbreak-high of 163 new virus cases, while thousands have defied stay-at-home orders to march unmasked in protest through central Sydney.
Some 45 of the fresh locally acquired infections were "very worryingly" in the community while contagious, meaning Sunday's numbers are again likely to be high and restrictions a step closer to being extended.
NSW Deputy Chief Health Officer Jeremy McNulty said on Saturday a man in his 80s from Sydney's southwest had become Australia's latest casualty of the virus.
"We express our condolences to the man's family," he told reporters.
Greater Sydney and surrounding regions are locked down until at least July 30 and three regional NSW local government areas are under stay-at-home orders until at least July 28, as authorities battle to contain an outbreak of the Delta strain.
That didn't stop an estimated several thousand people turning out to protest restrictions.
Police Minister David Elliott condemned them as "very selfish boofheads" in announcing a dedicated strike force of detectives to see to their apprehension and punishment.
Fifty-seven people had already been charged and 90 infringements issued by late afternoon on Saturday. However he said he wanted to see thousands penalised over the action.
Meanwhile NSW Health has linked 87 of the latest virus infections to existing cases but 76 are still under investigation.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said dozens of the 163 cases which emerged after a record 93,910 tests were out during all or part of their infectious period.
"Very worryingly, 45 were infectious out in the community," he told reporters.
"In other words, 45 people were out walking around and potentially spreading the virus which certainly explains why our numbers are going up."
Mr Hazzard said the new cases were mainly in the southwest Sydney areas of Fairfield, Canterbury-Bankstown, Cumberland, Blacktown and Liverpool.
He said tighter restrictions had to be placed on Cumberland and Blacktown on Friday night.
Only authorised workers are allowed to leave those five local government areas.
"We really need our community, particularly in southwestern and western Sydney, to stay at home, to hear the message and stay at home," the health minister said.
"It will continue to cause massive grief here in Sydney, particularly in western and southwestern Sydney, if family members mix with family members from other households.
"Just please, stop doing it. Stop."
Dr McNulty said 18 cases had been linked to a gathering at Pendle Hill following a family tragedy.
"Families coming together, even in tragic times can actually, when you are naturally grieving, can be a risk where COVID can easily take hold," he said.
He said of the 36 people in ICU on Saturday only one was vaccinated.
Mr Hazzard repeated Premier Gladys Berejiklian's plea for the federal government and other states to send Pfizer vaccines to NSW.
"If we can get the Pfizer that we need, to get it out we'll do everything we can," he said.
"We'll work with our chemists, we'll work with our GPs, we'll work with everybody to get it into people's arms, we just need to get it in order that we can do it.
"At the moment it's like fighting a war with both arms tied behind your back."
The federal government will send thousands of extra Pfizer doses from the national stockpile, in addition to 150,000 extra doses already sent to NSW.
The prime minister's office told AAP the extra Pfizer doses will arrive in NSW within the week.
The intervention comes after other states and territories pushed back against the NSW government's pleas at national cabinet on Friday to send Pfizer vaccines.
Mr Hazzard wasn't aware of the federal pledge but scolded other states for not helping as they might in any other natural disaster.
"I want to remind those other states and territories that last time I looked, we were a 'Commonwealth', we work together," he said.
© AAP 2021