The declaration, after the state recorded 136 new COVID-19 cases and another death - an 89-year-old man, came with a plea for a refocusing of the national vaccination rollout, particularly more Pfizer doses from the rest of the country for younger Sydneysiders.

NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian warned the outbreak was a national concern as no border was "perfect" and the virus could "seep through" to the rest of the country.

"We have an obligation on behalf of the nation to contain the virus," she said.

Following a late Friday meeting of national cabinet, the Prime Minister Scott Morrison thanked Ms Berejiklian for her "candour," but said he'd been treating the COVID-19 pandemic as a "national emergency" for two years and does not regard the current NSW outbreak as out of control.

"They have been able to suppress that exponential rate of growth, which is very important," Mr Morrison said.

"So when you have exponential growth in cases that's what you would call out of control. And that's not occurring in NSW.

"We have just got to push through."

The advice from Mr Morrison is to expand or "maximise" the use of the Pfizer doses the state already has, by shifting the delivery of the second doses of Pfizer vaccine from the current three weeks to six weeks.

It is a tactic designed to free up doses for people requiring the protection of the first dose.

"We will be confirming over the next 24 hours, the ability for, in New South Wales, in their state vaccine centres, for them to do greater amounts of first doses by staying within the medical advice," he said.

"In the same way, we have had the flexibility to bring forward AstraZeneca's second doses."

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The 136 new cases is the highest number of daily new infections in the state during this outbreak. A high number of the newly recorded cases, 53, were infectious in the community, while there are 137 cases in hospital. 32 people are in intensive case and 14 of those patients are currently being ventilated.

NSW Chief Health Officer Kerry Chant had pleaded for the national COVID-19 vaccination effort to be "refocused" on the affected areas of South-western Sydney and parts of Western Sydney. That included the request for extra doses of Pfizer to vaccinate younger people in the outbreak's epicentre as well as encouraging younger ages, perhaps over 40 years, to use the AstraZeneca vaccine if discussed with GPs.

"We need to redouble our efforts in supporting that community to have access to vaccinations," she said.

"We need to vaccinate younger people, between that 20- and 40-year-old age group."

But the Prime Minister has offered no immediate Pfizer support. He said more doses would be provided NSW as they are available under the national vaccination rollout.

"We have already given NSW an additional 150,000 doses," he said.

"That was in immediate response to a request to Premier made on July 7. They have been provided with an additional 160,000 AstraZeneca doses. More doses will be provided NSW as they are available. We will work with them on that."

Victoria, which has had success in suppressing the Delta strain and it now in the midst of its fifth lockdown, is offering support and suggesting that NSW surround greater Sydney with a "ring of steel" in a bid to contain the spread.

"Sydney is on fire with this virus and we need a ring of steel around Sydney," the Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews said.

"We need to contain this so we don't have a national emergency in every part of our nation.

"And it can be practical support or it can be some of the learnings and some of the practical experience that we tragically have."

Dr Chant insists the current cases numbers show the lockdown is having an effect as they are not exponential, but concedes it is not enough. The numbers overall and particularly in Sydney's south-west and western suburbs are still increasing.

The spread is happening through essential workers supermarkets, food processing and logistics, that "actually put food on the table for people in Sydney," she said.

Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly told a Senate committee that NSW was grappling with a "very serious situation".

"The normal things we've been used to doing and in relation to this virus are proving to be not as effective as in the past," he said.

"We're not alone in this experience; the Delta variant has spread to well over a hundred countries all around the world, and every country that has this variant is experiencing the same thing.

"It is an enormous challenge. Even with the lockdowns we've seen so far, and they are very strict, it is proving difficult to get this particular outbreak under control."

But the Prime Minister sounded a note of optimism.

"Just as Victoria pushed through last year, NSW, I know, will push through," he said.

"It is important that we actually come together at this time in Sydney and across the state and look forward at what we have to do."

Mr Morrison said federal support for South Australia and endorsements for quarantine facility proposals in Western Australia and Queensland would be coming soon.

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