NSW is projected to have 70 per cent of its population of 16-year-olds and older fully vaccinated by mid-October.
Projections show unvaccinated pockets by age or geography will remain across the state as it enjoys a blanket easing of restrictions for the fully vaccinated.
Cases will rise
Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned cases would rise when the lockdown eased.
“We’re not suggesting case numbers are going to go down at all during this period,” she said.
“If it’s in the vaccinated population, our health system won’t be troubled by that. But if it’s in the unvaccinated population, that’s when [health authorities] will give us advice to ease back.”
Ms Berejiklian said the road map out of lockdown, announced on Thursday, was needed to provide certainty. She said some eased rules, such as allowing the fully vaccinated to visit each other at home, would be hard to police.
“There is no perfection to this,” she said.
NSW reported 1405 new locally acquired coronavirus cases on Thursday and five related deaths, with the victims in their 40s to their 80s.
Despite the high case load, the effective reproduction (Reff) number of the virus, which determines how many people an infected person gives the virus to, dropped below one on Thursday for the first time since the outbreak began.
There were 1175 COVID-19 cases in hospital, with 202 in intensive care, the latter figure marking the first time the ICU number has passed 200 since the outbreak began. Of the people in intensive care, 80 required ventilation.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the NSW plan “keeps the deal” with Australia set out by the national cabinet.
“It is a careful and a safe plan, and consistent with everything set out in the national plan,” Mr Morrison said.
Victoria releases the regions
Thursday’s road map for NSW came as regional Victoria exited lockdown while the state reported 324 new local cases.
The ACT reported 15 new cases as Chief Minister Andrew Barr said a road map out of…