As Covid spreads into more regional areas, the Hunter region, north of Sydney, will go into a one week lockdown at 5pm tonight, after students at two schools tested positive for Covid 19.

In a press conference this morning, NSW Health chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant called for people who may have been to the Newcastle area to get tested if they feel sick.

The same restrictions and stay at home provisions will be in place as in Sydney.

Morrisett High School and Maitland Christian School are currently closed for deep cleaning, while NSW Health conducts contact tracing.

Maitland Christian School reported on social media this morning that a student at the school has tested positive for Covid-19 - and all staff and students were asked to self-isolate until further advice.

Dr Chant said contact tracing had identified that the source of the Morrisett school Covid cases was a household in the Central Coast.

"There have also been sewage detections of Covid in Armidale and Dubbo," Dr Chant said. "There's no time for complacency as levels in the sewer get higher."

A high "virus load" was also detected at Shortland, Merewether and Belmont and Target at Stocklands Glendale had been identified as a venue of high risk. 

New cases and more pfizer

Dr Chant said 262 new Covid cases were reported in NSW in the previous 24 hours, with 45 infectious in the community.

There were five deaths overnight, with three people in their 60s, one in their 70s and one on their 80s. Four were not vaccinated and one had one dose of AstraZeneca in late May.

She also announced that 180,000 doses of Pfizer have been allocated in NSW and 20,000 will be redirected to Year 12 students in the Sydney area within the next fortnight.