NSW has likely reached its 70 per cent double-dose adult vaccination target.
Federal government data issued on Wednesday afternoon showed that 69.2 per cent of people aged 15 and over in NSW had received two doses by Tuesday, 1.5 percentage points higher than the day before.
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At that rate, the state passed 70 per cent at lunchtime on Wednesday, signalling the likely staged reopening of social and business activity from Monday.
"Pop the champers," the government's Parliamentary Secretary for the Hunter, Taylor Martin, said when informed of the latest vaccination data.
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Vaccination rates slowed to a crawl over the long weekend, rising less than 1 percentage points in three days, but surged back to life on Tuesday.
The state's single-dose vaccination rate rose to 89.01 per cent on Tuesday, 0.44 points higher than the day before.
The fully vaccinated will be able to access pubs, cafes, gyms, salons and non-essential shops and have up to five visitors to their homes from Monday.
Regional NSW residents will also be able to travel freely throughout regional NSW.


Michael Parris
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.
Michael Parris reports on politics for the Newcastle Herald. He started at the Herald in 1994 after working in the ABC Newcastle newsroom. Michael spent much of his career as a sub-editor before moving into political reporting in 2017. He was a finalist in the Sports Australia national media awards for his stories about a male-only tennis club in Newcastle. He has covered NSW and federal elections, state and federal budgets and local politics. He has also written extensively about the COVID-19 pandemic with a special focus on data analysis and the effects of lockdowns on the Hunter community.