COVID-19 Tamworth: No new cases in Tamworth, but source of infection of some of city's 12 cases unknown, under investigation

The latest health data from NSW Health on Thursday shows 12 cases for the Tamworth Regional Council area, and 237 cases across the entire Hunter New England Health (HNEH) district.

But it's not all good news with NSW Health revealing at least one and up to four of the cases in the city are under investigation for tracing, with authorities unable to determine where the patients contracted the COVID-19 infection.

NSW Health confirmed one to four of Tamworth's cases were locally acquired but from an unknown source, as of 8pm on Wednesday.

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Some of Tamworth's cases were contracted from a known contact who had the infection, as well as some who returned from overseas on a cruise ship.

Tenterfield's two COVID-19 are also on the list with authorities still working to determine where the patients contracted the infection.

On Thursday, New England MP Barnaby Joyce announced a Tamworth pathology unit in Peel Street would open a new office in its CBD office dedicated to testing for COVID-19 on Friday.

Meanwhile, a Uralla Shire resident has COVID-19 after returning from a trip overseas.

The latest case in the region was revealed by Northern Tablelands MP Adam Marshall who posted on Facebook on Thursday morning that it was a younger person who had recently travelled abroad.

He said the case had been confirmed in the previous 24 hours and that the person had been self-isolating at home since returning.

"NSW Police have been in contact with this person and all the isolation requirements are being met," he said.

The latest case brings the total number of cases within the Northern Tablelands electorate to seven.

The first coronavirus cases in the region were an Inverell couple who returned home from a cruise, followed by an Emmaville couple who had also been on a cruise.

Last weekend, Armidale had its first confirmed case of coronavirus after a test for the virus came back positive on Sunday.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 infections in NSW has reached 2298, with 116 new cases recorded overnight, while the state's death toll sits at 10.

That's almost half of the country's tally of 23 deaths.

More than 40 coronavirus patients are in intensive care in NSW with 20 requiring ventilators.

There are more than 450 infections linked to cruise ships, including 340 cases from the Ruby Princess and 74 from the Ovation of the Seas.

- with AAP

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