There are no Illawarra residents among the 199 new locally acquired COVID-19 cases detected in NSW.
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At least 82 of the people who tested positive for the virus in the 24 hours to 8pm Monday were circulating in the community for all or part of their infectious period.
Of the new cases, 88 are linked to a known case or cluster, while 111 remain under investigation.
The Illawarra has not seen a new case of COVID in five days.
There are 250 people in hospital in NSW with COVID-19, one of whom is in the Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District.
Fifty-three people are in intensive care, and 20 of them require ventilation.
More than 3800 people have caught COVID-19 since this outbreak was first reported on June 16.
That accounts for almost 41 per cent of all cases seen in NSW since the start of the pandemic.
The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District has confirmed that its vaccination clinics have not been affected by the redirection of Pfizer doses from regional areas to vaccinate Year 12 students in south and southwestern Sydney.
Meanwhile, another voice has joined the chorus of those calling for answers about Shellharbour's continued lockdown.
The city has seen no cases of COVID during this outbreak - the last time a resident tested positive for the virus was October last year.
Federal MP Stephen Jones, whose electorate of Whitlam includes Shellharbour and part of Wollongong, wants the NSW government to explain why the city has not been released.
"Shellharbour has no cases but we're still in lockdown," Mr Jones said on social media.
"Meanwhile other areas with more cases and higher risk aren't in lockdown.
"We just want an explanation from the Berejiklian Government but they refuse to provide one."
Shellharbour mayor Marianne Saliba, Shellharbour MP Anna Watson and Member for Kiama Gareth Ward have been vocally opposed to the area's inclusion in the stay-at-home directions.
Chief health officer Dr Kerry Chant has cited the connectivity between Wollongong and Shellharbour, and metropolitan Sydney, as a reason for the measure.
Earlier this week, Dr Chant said a lot of people travelled for work between the region and Sydney for work, and those workers needed to get vaccinated.
She said more time was also needed to drive down rates of infection.
Premier Gladys Berejiklian said that if health experts found Wollongong, Shellharbour and the Central Coast could be treated like the rest of regional NSW, the government would take that advice - even ahead of August 28, the expiry date of the current order.
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Natalie Croxon
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
Reporter at the Illawarra Mercury, mostly covering social affairs. Previously of the Bendigo Advertiser, Northern Daily Leader and Quirindi Advocate. Our Watch award winner.
