THERE are no new cases of COVID-19 in the Tamworth area for a second day running.
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The infection growth rate of coronavirus is trending down across the Hunter New England Health (HNEH) district, according to the latest data.
HNEH announced on Wednesday that 10 more people had tested positive up to 8pm on Tuesday.
The Tamworth area has recorded 12 confirmed cases - a figure that has remained the same since Monday.
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Gunnedah remains free of confirmed cases, with one case in Armidale and just a handful in Inverell, Glen Innes and Tenterfield. All other New England towns are free of the virus.
The total number of positive tests in the HNEH district now sits at 218.
But the figures clash with official number publicly listed on the NSW Health website. Now, HNEH has confirmed the state's figures - listed at 227 for HNEH - are wrong.
On Wednesday, the Leader questioned the two different figures, both for the same time period, which showed a discrepancy of nine cases.
HNEH has confirmed the state health department published case results that were ambiguous in a handful of cases, but further checks on Wednesday of the cases have proved to be negative.
HNEH confirmed the re-testing had confirmed negative results in nine cases on Wednesday.
NSW Health still has the incorrect figures listed on the website on Wednesday night.
The total number of HNEH cases include 14 with an unknown source and three under investigation. The rest were acquired overseas or from contact with a confirmed case. Of the 218 cases, 33 have recovered from coronavirus.
HNEH hospitals are caring for 12 COVID-19 patients, six of whom are in intensive care units, one fewer than on Tuesday.
One hundred of the people who have tested positive are older than 60.
The health service is informing close contacts of the new cases and asking them to self-isolate for 14 days from last contact.
HNEH reported 11 new cases in its daily update on Monday and eight on Tuesday, down from 25 and 22 last weekend.
NURSING HOME VISITOR RESTRICTIONS
Meanwhile, HNEH will ban all visitors to state-run nursing homes from Saturday in an attempt to protect elderly residents.
The announcement followed the death on Tuesday of a woman in her nineties at Dorothy Henderson Lodge.
The 95-year-old was the fifth resident to die at the nursing home in north-west Sydney.
Ten people have died of COVID-19 in NSW, after one person died in Orange on Wednesday from complications of COVID-19.
HNEH wrote to family members on Wednesday to tell them about the new restrictions on visits.
The previous guidelines allowed for one visitor a day for 30 minutes.
"In line with recent Federal Government advice and NSW Government policy updates we will be restricting all visitors to our Multi-Purpose Services and State Government Residential Aged Care Facilities across Hunter New England Local Health District," the letter said.
"To protect our most vulnerable residents and patients, only essential staff and support personnel will be able to enter."
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