A Newcastle man was among the 15 people who died with COVID-19 across NSW in the 24 hours to 4pm on Tuesday, as the region's daily case number soared.
The Hunter New England Health District recorded 3184 new cases of the virus during the period, up by more than 500 from the previous day.
Of those cases, 2164 were detected by rapid antigen tests and 1020 by PCR tests.
Four men across the Hunter New England Health District lost their lives during the latest reporting period.
Two men aged in their 80s - one from Newcastle and the other from the Mid Coast local government area - and two in their 90s - one from Tamworth and the other from Inverell Shire - died with the virus.
There are 63 people with COVID-19 in Hunter New England Hospitals, including five patients in intensive care.
NSW recorded 25,235 new cases in the 24 hours to 4pm on Tuesday.
There are 1301 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 46 in ICU, across the state.
