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NSW has recorded its worst day since the start of the Covid pandemic with 681 new infections, as Gladys Berejiklian announced the extension of lockdown measures in the regions and said 'we can’t pretend' the state will ever get back to zero cases.

The premier said all of NSW would remain under stay-at-home orders until at least August 28 after announcing 48 more cases than the previous day's record tally - and another death.

The man in his 80s from Sydney's south-east died at St George Hospital on Wednesday.

Of the new cases, 59 were contagious in the community and the isolation status of 459 infections is still a mystery to contact tracers.

The source of infection for 511 cases is still under investigation. 

A record 110,000 vaccinations were administered across NSW in the last 24 hours – and Ms Berejikilian said the state was on target to fully immunise 70 per cent of its population by the end of October.

'Once we get to the end of October we expect 70 per cent of the population to be fully vaccinated,' she said.

'Once we get to mid November we expect that figure to reach 80 per cent. 

'It gives enormous opportunities for greater freedoms than we do today.' 

She said though NSW's eight million residents 'need to learn to live with Delta' and accept Australia may never fully eradicate the highly-contagious strain of the virus.   

'We need to come to terms with the fact that when you get to a certain level of vaccination and open up, Delta will creep in,' she said.

'We can't pretend that we will ever have zero cases again in Australia.'

Authorities have extended regional NSW's lockdown - in line with the expiry date for Greater Sydney's stay-at-home restrictions - after another 25 cases were found in the state's west. 

Police and ADF personnel are pictured patrolling the Bankstown LGA in Sydney's south-west on Thursday.  A man in his 80s has died from Covid-19 in Sydney as NSW's Delta outbreak grew by a record 681 cases on Thursday

The 681 cases recorded on Thursday is the highest daily increase in infections since the pandemic began in NSW

'There are vast areas of regional NSW where there are not any cases but we have the opportunity to get down to zero cases in the regions,' she said.

'That is what we want to achieve, and therefore we need to take that precaution.' 

The state has now administered 5.5 million Covid-19 jabs - only 500,000 doses short of the premier's target of six million vaccines in arms across NSW by the end of August.

Ms Berejiklian has flagged easing lockdown in areas with high vaccination rates once that figure is reached.

But she refused to say what life could look like beyond September 1 other than saying vaccinated residents would have freedoms 'better than what we are experiencing today'.

'I know everybody is waiting to know what life looks like after we had 6 million jabs - and more importantly, what September and October looks like,' she said.

'We are working on those proposals as we speak.' 

The premier reiterated that high vaccination rates are key to ending lockdowns and curbing surging infections.   

'When we are at 80 per cent vaccination, decisions will need to be made as to how freely we can live,' Ms Berejiklian said.

'It will depend on the case numbers, but life will be much freer than what it is now.'

Residents arrive at a mass vaccination centre to get their Covid-19 vaccine in Sydney on Wednesday

NSW Health said 463 of the new cases were found in west and south-west Sydney.

The vast majority of the new infections were found in Merrylands, Guildford, Auburn, Granville, Lidcombe, Greenacre and Blacktown. 

Another 74 cases were found in the Nepean Blue Mountains region and 63 were detected in the central Sydney local health district. 

NSW Police issued 671 fines across the statein the last 24 hours - including 393 to residents who left home without a reasonable excuse. 

Deputy Police Commissioner Gary Worboys said among those to be fined were a group of young men who were caught playing soccer at Smithfield in the city's west.

Gladys has promised 'greater freedoms' for NSW residents once the state's vaccination rate hits 80 per cent

The announcement follows an alarming forecast that NSW is on track to hit more than 2,000 cases a day if current infection rates continue, with seemingly no end in sight to the state's gruelling lockdown.

The Delta variant's reproductive rate has shot up to 1.3, as dozens of exposure sites were recorded across regional areas including a busy Kmart, five Woolworths and two Aldi supermarkets. 

If the alarming figure triggering exponential growth stays the same, one of Australia's top virus experts, James McCaw, has warned - there will be 2,000 daily cases within four weeks. 

Pictured: NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian wears a face mask as she provides an update on the state's Covid-19 outbreak.  She has extended regional NSW's lockdown to at least August 28

Masked Sydneysiders are pictured in Bankstown in the city's south-west on Wednesday

Police and ADF personnel are seen together next to a patrol car in the Bankstown LGA in Sydney's south-west

Worryingly, these predictions are not based on modelling showing worst or best case scenarios, but are made using simple maths based on the current 1.3 R-rate. 

The University of Melbourne professor, who advises the federal government on its coronavirus response, said the rate at which infections are picking up pace is 'deeply concerning'.

'It could go lower too. Our models show the possibility of increases and decreases, but I think it's more likely to be well over 1,000 and up to 2,000 within a month or so,' he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

Using the 1.3 reproduction figure, NSW will see 2,278 daily cases on average by September 17, with more than 1,000 expected by September 2.

Covid-ravaged New South Wales is on track to start racking up over 2,000 cases a day, as the Delta variant's reproductive rate skyrockets (pictured, Sydneysiders in lockdown on Wednesday)

At the moment the R-rate is now 1.3, meaning every 10 people who catch the devastating respiratory illness will pass it on to another 13 (pictured, Bronte Beach in Sydney's east)

If the R-rate were to drop slightly to 1.2, a five-day rolling average by September 17 would be a slightly healthier 1,409.

An R-rate of 1.1 would see the average daily cases by the same date reach a far more manageable 836. 

NSW Health are not only scrambling to get on top of the ever-growing outbreak, but also to prepare for the huge influx of positive cases that may need to be hospitalised.

At the centre of those concerns are a staggering 3,803 mystery cases that are yet to be linked to a source.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said the worst was yet to come for Sydneysiders as the state recorded by far the highest daily rise in cases during the Covid-19 pandemic to date

To free up staff and hospital capacity, the NSW Ministry of Health made the shock move to cancel almost all surgeries in the state's private hospitals.

Under the 'special conditions' order only 'emergency' procedures will be allowed to go ahead from August 23.

Similar non-urgent surgeries have already been halted in public hospitals.

It comes just days after NSW Health admitted they have all but given up on listing exposure venues in virus-plagued Sydney.

Instead, health officials will concentrate on public alerts in regional areas and venues in the Harbour City deemed 'high-risk'.

Triggering fear are a staggering 3803 mystery Covid cases that are yet to be linked to their source (pictured, police assist NSW Health staff at a Covid vaccination clinic at Olympic Park on Wednesday)

NSW Health are not only scrambling to get on top of the ever-growing outbreak, but also to prepare for the huge influx of positive cases that may need to be hospitalised (pictured, Sydney on Wednesday)

Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant told reporters the R-rate will need to drop below 1 before any improvements can be made in the case numbers.

She desperately reiterated her daily message on Wednesday morning calling on NSW residents to stay at home and abide by the state's harsh lockdown measures which are now in their eighth week in Sydney.

'Every person is passing on the virus to more than one person, so we are continuing to see case numbers increase,' she said.

'You might have one person who has connections across three households, but in each of those households you've got tens of people. And we know that household transmission for Covid is so common.'

Sydneysiders line up in Bankstown to get vaccinated against Covid-19 on Wednesday (pictured) - one of the city's virus hotspots

A long queue of people is seen lining up to vaccinated against Covid at Bankstown in Sydney on Wednesday (pictured) - with the area suffering a worrying influx of Covid cases

The warning for Sydneysiders came as dozens of venues throughout regional NSW were flagged by authorities as exposure sites. 

A long list of businesses were issued with public health alerts in the central west NSW town of Dubbo - including a day spa, corner store and a gym.

Anyone who visited Dubbo's Itty Bitty Spa on Tuesday August 10 between 9:30am to 5:30pm is considered a close contact and must immediately get tested and isolate for 14 days.

Dubbo Kmart (pictured) was among dozens of venues in the far west town exposed to the virus

Dubbo Aldi (pictured) was issued a public health alert after being flagged as a Covid exposure site

The same goes for anyone who attended Dubbo Myall St Mini Mart on August 13 between 2:15pm to 2:30pm and gym-goers at Dubbo Snap Fitness on August 10 from 5:30pm to 6:30pm.

Meanwhile, five Woolworths supermarkets at Albion Park, Broken Hill, Shell Cove, Dubbo's Orana Mall and Dubbo Riverdale Shopping Centre, were issued casual alerts.

That means anyone who attended during the times listed by NSW Health must immediately get tested and isolate until a negative result is received.  

It's the same story for shoppers at Broken Hill Coles, Dubbo and Edgeworth Aldi, and Kmart, also in Dubbo.  

Albion Park Woolworths (pictured) near Shellharbour was flagged as a Covid exposures site

Australian Defence Force personnel assist NSW Police with Food Bank deliveries in Dubbo, NSW on August 18, 2021