Western NSW LHD chief executive Scott McLachlan confirmed there were both no new cases and no active cases of the virus in the region on Tuesday.

That means the security guard who tested positive in mid-July after being exposed to the virus after coming into close contact with an infectious pet food delivery driver in Blayney is now clear of COVID-19.

Mr McLachlan said the case, which was linked to Molong in the Cabonne Local Government Area, took a little longer than normal to recover from the virus.

"It took longer than the normal 14 days, but that's not unusual, we know there have been cases take longer to recover from this Delta strain," he added.

"We're still learning about this strain of the virus. What we do know though, is that it's deadly, it's infectious and it spreads fast.

"This is a sincere plea to the community: don't hold back. If you know people struggling, encourage them to get tested. Our best defence against covid is testing, please don't delay."

Mr McLachan said the district's sewage testing will continue, with the results from recent detections of COVID-19 fragments at Mudgee and Dubbo expected back Wednesday morning.

He said those initial detections triggered a couple of actions from the Western NSW LHD, with additional testing clinics now open in both locations.

A drive-through clinic is also still operational in Orange at the showground.

In the 24 hours prior to Tuesday lunchtime, 590 tests were completed in Dubbo and 337 tests in Mudgee.

"We want to get in front of the virus in our region," Mr McLachlan said.

He added testing was the best defence the Western LHD has against COVID-19, but was pleased to see over 27,000 people come forward in the last fortnight to receive a vaccination jab.

He said vaccination clinics in Orange, Bathurst and Dubbo are open seven days a week and come next week those locations will have their full allocations of Pfizer vaccine restored.

Mr McLachlan said there has been a noticeable increase in younger people getting the AstraZeneca vaccination, too.

"It's a safe, effective and available vaccination," he said.

That jump in vaccination rates in western NSW coincides with two new lockdowns in northern parts of the state.

The communities of Armidale and Tamworth are now both complying with stay at home orders after community transmission of the virus in the former and five locations being listed as exposure sites at the latter.

There were positive sewage detections at Armidale in the lead-up to their lockdown, and Mr McLachlan acknowledged there was a sense of lockdown anxiety in western NSW too.

"I know everyone feels like we're on the precipice of a lockdown," he said.

"Sewage testing is just one tool we have, and what we're looking for is to identify the people in Dubbo and Mudgee with covid. Any potential exposure sites found after that is the biggest thing that'll determine a lockdown.

"We know the steps taken in Orange, Cabonne and Blayney were very quick once potential exposure sites were identified. They're the right steps, too. We know it has an impact on community, the economy and wellbeing, but nonetheless this is a deadly virus sweeping NSW. We need to be vigilant."

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