An Aboriginal man has died at the Wellington Health Service, becoming the ninth First Nations person to die with the virus since the Delta outbreak has gripped New South Wales.
The man in his 50s had received both doses of the COVID vaccine but health authorities said he lived with serious underlying health conditions.
Chief Executive of Western NSW Local Health District's Scott McLachlan said the news was 'tragic'.
"He died at Wellington Hospital shortly after arriving by ambulance," Mr McLachlan told reporters at his daily press conference.
He said while the man had received both shots, he was not fully protected due to the period between his second dose and contracting the disease.
"The gentleman had received two doses of COVID-19 vaccine, but he had significant underlying health conditions and may have contracted COVID-19 around nine days after his second vaccination and didn't have the full protection."
Mr McLachlan extended his condolences to the family and friends of the man who died and said it was highly distressing for the local Aboriginal community.
He said Indigenous people in the district are over-represented in the statistics, with about 60 percent of the 1400 cases infecting Indigenous peoples.
"It's incredibly distressing to see that continue to spread and we've lost too many lives to COVID-19."
To 8pm on Wednesday seven new cases were recorded in the local Western New South Wales district with three in Bourke, two in Dubbo and one in Wellington while a case was recorded in Walgett that is currently being reviewed by authorities.
Five cases were infectious in the community.
There has now been 13 deaths recorded within the Western New South Wales Local Health District since mid June when the outbreak began.
Hundreds First Nations people infected in NSW outbreak
Since the pandemic began there have been 3,853 First Nations people infected with the virus and 429 Indigenous people have been hospitalised with COVID.
Nine Indigenous people have died with the virus— all in New South Wales — in the western NSW and Greater Sydney outbreaks.
Mr McLachlan is urging people to get their vaccinations and said it was important not to get complacent.
He said the rates of Indigenous vaccinations had increased dramatically over the the past few weeks as the state prepares to open up from its long lockdown.
"The gap is narrowing significantly. It was only about 30 percent three weeks ago and now it's less than 10 percent now," Mr McLachlan said.
On Thursday New South Wales recorded 587 new COVID-19 cases.
