COVID-19: Hunter New England region records one death, 2491 positive PCR test results in 24 hours to 8pm on January 12, 2022

Hunter New England Health figures released on Thursday morning showed there were 2491 new infections in the 24-hour period - though this figure only represented positive PCR results, not rapid antigen tests (RATs) which were being officially counted by NSW Health from Wednesday.

A man aged in his 60s from Cessnock was among the latest to die with the virus.

There are 29,196 active cases in the district, 105 people with the virus being treated in hospital and 13 of those in intensive care.

The Lake Macquarie local government area had the most new cases for the day (558), followed by Newcastle (465), Maitland (301), Port Stephens (234), Cessnock (220), Mid Coast (175), Tamworth (142), Armidale (105), Inverell (64) and Moree Plains (40).

Singleton local government area had 38 new cases, followed by Narrabri (27), Gunnedah (26), Muswellbrook (17), Walcha (14), Glen Innes (13), Upper Hunter (12), Dungog (11), Liverpool Plains (10) and Uralla (2).

It comes on a day NSW recorded another 22 deaths - the highest number for the state for the fourth time in a week.

NSW Health released its first daily figures containing RAT results on Thursday morning.

According to the data, NSW has recorded 92,264 new positive tests - 30,877 of those being PCR results in the 24 hours to 8pm on Wednesday.

The health authority noted that the total included the reporting of 61,387 RATs taken since January 1 - the online registration system went online yesterday.

Of those, 50,729 positive RAT results came from the past seven days.

NSW Health said the numbers included some cases where the same person received a positive RAT result on multiple days or where an individual had a positive RAT and PCR result within the same reporting period.

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