The ACT has reported 1014 new infections in the latest reporting period, after numbers dropped below 1000 for the first time in days on Sunday.

There were 38 people in Canberra hospitals with COVID in the 24 hours to 8pm on Monday, including four people in intensive care and one under ventilation. Previously, there were 39 people in hospital and four in the ICU.

ACT now has 5728 active cases of coronavirus, down from the 6014 reported on Monday. Of the new cases 381 were reported through PCR tests and 633 via rapid tests.

Schools continue to be a major driver of new cases in the territory, with 1531 cases of COVID-19 reported to 126 ACT schools during the week ending March 20.

Cases have increased since students returned to school with 549 COVID cases recorded at the start of February compared with 1226 on March 15.

Due to system delays ACT Health was not able to provide vaccination updates for Tuesday.

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NSW has recorded 20,960 new COVID-19 cases and four deaths in the 24 hours to 4pm.

Tuesday's numbers jumped significantly from the 14,970 new cases reported previously.

There are 1177 COVID-19 patients in hospital, with 41 in ICU.

Hospitalisation numbers are up on yesterday, when 1163 patients were being cared for with 34 in ICU.

Of the new cases, 15,043 came from positive rapid antigen tests while 5917 came from PCR testing.

Victoria has recorded seven deaths in the 24 hours to midnight Monday and 9594 new cases

There were 256 hospitalisations in the state, including 24 in ICU and five on ventilators.

Meanwhile, parents are being urged to vaccinate their children for COVID-19 after the virus claimed the life of a healthy two-year-old Sydney child.

NSW's deputy chief health officer Marianne Gale announced the toddler's death on Monday, saying the child had no underlying health concerns.

In January a three-year-old boy with a rare genetic condition became the youngest person in NSW to die after contracting COVID-19.

Both children were too young to be immunised but Dr Gale urged parents of children aged five and older to get them vaccinated "without delay", saying many children would now be eligible for their second dose.

"I'd like to remind everybody that booster doses for COVID-19 vaccine are available for people age 16 years and over three months after a second dose," she said.

- with AAP

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