AN Indigenous man in his 50s has died on Monday morning from COVID-19, while concerns around the situation in Dubbo and Western NSW intensify.
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Western NSW Local Health District chief executive Scott McLachlan expressed his sympathy towards the family and friends of the man who he said had underlying health conditions.
"This gentleman was not vaccinated," he said.
"We know that people will die if the vaccines do not get into arms."
Mr McLachlan's warning comes as case numbers in Western NSW reach another record high, with 51 cases recorded up until 8pm on Sunday, August 29.
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Of those cases 33 were in the Dubbo community.
"There is a lot of opportunities for people in Western NSW to get vaccinated," Mr McLachlan said.
"Could I please implore everyone, this is time to step up to get jabbed and double jabbed.
"Don't mess around any longer."
NSW recorded 1290 locally-acquired COVID-19 cases and four deaths in the 24-hour reporting period with Western and Far West NSW still 'an area of concern'.
"There is still far to much community spread in the numbers," Mr McLachlan said.
However, he said pleasingly there has been a significant increase in the vaccination rates of Indigenous Australians specifically over the last week.
"We've seen a significant jump in the last couple of weeks with Aboriginal people in NSW who are coming to get vaccinated," he said.
"That's a pleasing step up, although they are coming from a much lower rate than the non Aboriginal population."
In places such as Coonamble, Warren, Bourke and Brewarrina at least 40 per cent of Indigenous people have received their first dose of the vaccine but Dubbo only sits at 31 per cent so far.
Mr McLachlan said there is still a long way to go until things can look like returning to a bit of normality.
"Those are pleasing increases and we know we have got a long way to go to get those magical numbers of 80 per cent of people fully vaccinated," he said.
"That means for Aboriginal people across the region over the age of 12, please can I urge the community ... please reach out for vaccination opportunities."
There are currently 16 people around the region in hospital due with COVID-19, 12 of those are currently in Dubbo Hospital.
Four of those patients are in Intensive Care with three on ventilators.
Mr McLachlan said he didn't know how many of the patients in hospital had been vaccinated with either their first or second dose.
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