Of the positive cases, 16 are residents and two are employees

At least nine of the residents who tested positive have been transferred to Wollongong Hospital.

All staff and residents diagnosed with COVID-19 are in a stable condition.

All residents and staff were expected to be tested again on Thursday.

Unanderra Public School reopened to staff and students unable to learn from home on Thursday, after it was closed for deep-cleaning on Wednesday.

COVID-19 claimed another six lives across the state, including a Wollongong woman in her 80s.

The Illawarra Shoalhaven Local Health District (ISLHD) confirmed the woman died in Wollongong Hospital of complications related to COVID-19.

She had received one dose of a vaccine and had underlying health conditions.

Cases in the Illawarra Shoalhaven LHD increased by 22 in the 24 hours to 8pm Wednesday.

That number has come down from a peak of 103 cases on September 23.

Of the new cases, seven were from Wollongong (five linked to known cases), with two cases each in the postcodes of 2500, 2518, 2530 and one in 2506.

Nine cases were recorded in Shellharbour (two linked), with six cases in 2528, two in 2529 and one in 2527.

Shoalhaven had six new cases, while there were no new cases in Kiama.

The region's total number of COVID cases since the start of the June outbreak now stands at 2184.

As at 8pm Wednesday, there were 33 COVID-19 patients being treated in local hospitals.

Meantime, NSW Health announced 406 new locally acquired cases of COVID-19 and six more deaths across the state.

711 people are now in hospital with COVID, with 143 people in ICU.

More than 91 per cent of the eligible population have had their first vaccination and 76.5 per cent are now fully vaccinated.