CORONAVIRUS cases in the region's reached a momentary plateau again over the weekend after a rise on Friday night.
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Figures up to 8pm on Saturday found no new COVID-19 cases identified in the preceding 24 hours, leaving the overall total at 276.
On Saturday Hunter New England Health confirmed the death of a third COVID-19 patient in its hospitals.
A 58-year-old woman died at Tamworth Hospital on April 16. Testing the following day confirmed she had COVID-19.
The source of her exposure is under investigation.
Her death follows the death of three Hunter people, aged 69, 74 and 76, from COVID-19 complications. Two of those people died in John Hunter Hospital, the other in Sydney.
Five new cases for the region were confirmed as at 8pm on Friday, taking the Hunter New England total to 276.
It was the biggest rise in new cases for the region in almost a week, after only one new case in the previous four days.
There were seven COVID-19 patients in Hunter New England hospitals, including one in ICU, with 16 receiving Hospital in the Home support.
By Saturday night the Hospital in the Home tally had dropped to 12.
Two more patients were deemed to have recovered by Friday while another two recovered by Saturday night, taking the total recovered cases figure to 223.
Hunter New England said a 'recovered case' referred to "anyone previously confirmed positive with COVID-19 who is no longer under active surveillance by the public health unit, in either a hospital or in the community".
"This includes someone who has been diagnosed with COVID-19 and has now completed the required period of self-isolation, or someone who has previously been diagnosed with COVID-19 who no longer has the virus," Hunter New England Health said on Saturday.
Sunday's statewide figures revealed another 21 cases were identified since 8pm on Friday.
NSW Health confirmed a 93-year-old man who was a resident of Newmarch House had died after contracting the disease.
Around the state health authorities are treating 245 confirmed cases, including 21 patients in intensive care units.
Separately, Newcastle police issued three penalty infringement notices in the early hours of Sunday as they broke up a reported party in Merewether. They were among seven people charged and 45 fines issued in the 24 hours to Sunday afternoon.
Officers attended a Nott Street property about 12.50am and observed six people sitting on an upstairs balcony. Three people were told to leave. Police allege one of the men, 40, refused to leave and yelled at the officers.
The man, a 50-year-old woman and a 49-year-old man eventually complied with police's directions.
The trio all received $1000 fines.
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