Western NSW Local Health District director of public health Priscilla Stanley has revealed characteristics of the deadly Delta variant of the COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) virus when reassuring regional communities that treated sewage is not a risk to them.

NSW Health has employed the NSW Sewage Surveillance Program in its battle with the virus.

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More than 60 sewage treatment plants across NSW including Dubbo are part of the program.

Sewage is tested for fragments of the virus.

It was detected in samples taken at Dubbo on August 3, August 5 and August 9.

At a virtual media event on Tuesday, Ms Stanley was asked if the treatment of sewage killed the virus. "Absolutely," she said.

"The SARS virus is actually not a very stable virus so as soon as the sewage is treated the risk of COVID is reduced significantly.

"The normal processing to treat the sewage across our local government areas kills the virus.

"There is no ongoing risk."

Ms Stanley said the test for fragments of the virus in sewage was "incredibly sensitive".

She said a positive result in Western NSW communities including Dubbo could be the result of "just one person shedding the virus".

But the director said the Delta variant was "more infectious than chickenpox".

"So our concern is if there is an active case in these communities that spread is incredibly likely and possible," Ms Stanley said.

On Tuesday night the Dubbo community was informed of one confirmed case of COVID-19 which grew to five by Thursday morning.

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