Speaking at a press conference today, Dr Hugh Heggie spoke about his decision to make all of New South Wales a hotspot after attending the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee meeting.

"It has been said by experts today that probably, it is twice the number of people who require hospitalisation, than in the Victorian outbreak at the beginning of the pandemic," he said.

Dr Heggie also said a number of Aboriginal people had been diagnosed with the virus in Sydney, which has been a long held concern of health professionals.

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"The outbreak in Sydney has spread to a number of parts around Sydney and slightly beyond, but it now involves a lot of people who are from a range of different countries around the world. And also, importantly, several Aboriginal people have been infected," he said.

"And I know that there have been some Aboriginal Territorians that might have thought that this illness may not affect them. And clearly, it does."

He urged all eligible Territorians to get vaccinated to prevent serious ramifications of the Delta strain.

"I particularly want to reach out to all Territorians who are eligible for vaccination. It might not stop you catching the virus, or indeed spreading the virus, but it does actually stop you becoming seriously unwell or potentially losing your life - that is important for the rest of The territory.

"Because if you have an outbreak here, there's the potential for harm, and loss of lives."

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