NSW has recorded 207 new local COVID-19 cases and another death as vaccinations remain a focus for authorities trying to forge a path out of Sydney's lockdown.
At least 72 cases were in the community during part or all of their infectious period, with the infection status of another 46 cases unknown.
"It is really in our hands as to how we deal with the cases coming down as a community but also our rate of vaccinations," Premier Gladys Berejiklian said on Monday.
"One learning we have had in the last five weeks is that the vaccinations, both vaccines, are working extremely effectively.
"We still don't know of anybody in intensive care who has received both doses of the vaccine."
One outbreak is in a Summer Hill aged care facility, where cases now number 14 and all residents on one floor are being treated or monitored in hospital.
Health Minister Brad Hazzard said an event was linked to the virus' spread in the facility where 10 of the 61 residents and one in every four workers were not vaccinated.
"Sometimes it isn't a good idea to have a 'Christmas in July' right in the middle of a pandemic but I do understand that it is an effort to try and provide entertainment and support to residents," he told reporters.
Spread in workplaces is also a threat, with one workplace resulting in 30 infections, NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant said.
"It is critical that people don't work whilst they have symptoms," she said.
Of the 207 cases recorded in the 24 hours to 8pm on Sunday, 40 per cent were in southwestern Sydney and 25 per cent were in western Sydney.
The seven-day average now exceeds 200 per day, with 1408 cases in the past week and 3634 since mid-June.
A southwestern Sydney man aged in his 90s has become the 15th person to die in the current outbreak.
He'd received one vaccine dose and was linked to an outbreak in Liverpool Hospital's aged care ward.
Some 232 COVID-19 cases are in hospital, including 54 in intensive care - 25 of whom require ventilation.
Dr Chant said zero community transmission by the end of August remained the focus for authorities, noting the vast majority of the community was doing the right thing.
She defended keeping Shellharbour in lockdown despite no cases since October, saying the area was very connected to Wollongong. There have been 13 cases recorded in Wollongong in the past fortnight.
The premier denied the emphasis on vaccinations was an admission that zero transmission was a futile cause, saying the combination of new cases and vaccination rates would dictate changes to restrictions.
About 460,000 shots were administered in NSW last week, meaning 41 per cent of the state's adult population is now at least partly vaccinated.
Dr Chant said she didn't want one dose of Pfizer wasted after questions about a nurse reportedly sacked for giving unused, soon-to-expire doses to eligible family members.
Meanwhile, about 300 Australian Defence Force troops have joined NSW police patrolling streets in Sydney's west and southwest to ensure COVID-19 health orders are being observed in eight hotspot areas.
Strathfield South Public School in Sydney's west is closed and all staff and students are self-isolating after a COVID-19 case.
Sydney public transport services have been restored to a regular weekday timetable to avoid overcrowding as the construction industry resumes with limitations after a two-week hiatus.
Tradies from the eight worst affected local government areas in Sydney's west and southwest are still not allowed to work or leave their area.
© AAP 2021