The doughnut days - recorded up to 8pm on Saturday and Monday - were punctuated by two positive cases in Tanilba Bay on the Sunday.

Before Saturday, the Port had consistently posted new cases since September 2.

In the past week the number of new daily cases in Port Stephens has remained below five, while the case locations have dropped from 18 last week to eight on Tuesday.

In more good news, children and teenagers aged 18 years and under will be given new freedoms for the start of school holidays by being permitted to visit each other's homes in groups of three.

Each child would be allowed to have two designated friends visit their house, who must always be the same.

The NSW 'friends bubble' rule will apply only to households where all adults are fully vaccinated, which says State MP Kate Washington "would be good for some, frustrating for others".

ALSO READ: Port nurse's message after working in Wilcannia: get the jab

Ms Washington said that while Port Stephens continued to enjoy strong rates of vaccinations, there were genuine concerns about the increasing lack of access to the Pfizer vaccine in the Port and across other regional and remote LGAs.

"This concern was raised with [deputy leader] John Barilaro who has assured us the issue will be feed on to the NSW crisis cabinet... the vaccine shortage could mean that the roadmap to easing restrictions may be altered to protect the community."

While the Moderna vaccine is expected to begin distribution throughout Australia later this week, it seems that the arrival of more Pfizer doses in Port Stephens could be still some weeks away.

The Examiner contacted the Port's two major vaccinations hubs about waiting times for the Pfizer vaccines. Dr Alex Richardson from Nelson Plaza Clinic said: "Nine weeks but cancellations are increasing as patients get appointments elsewhere", while Raymond Terrace Respiratory Clinic's Dr Sarah Bayley said that "October had been filled" and that Pfizer vaccination bookings would reopen on the first Sunday in November.

Despite the low number of Pfizer vaccines available, the Port Stephens community is second only to the Upper Hunter in terms of number of people vaccinated.

As of Monday, there were 80.9 per cent of the adult population in Port Stephens with one shot and 50.1 per cent who had received two doses.

The positive cases in Port Stephens continue to come from diverse areas, removing the threat of clusters which would be more concerning for health officials.

Prior to the two cases in Tanilba Bay recorded on September 20, Hunter New England Health had reported a single case in Anna Bay and one each in Nelson Bay and Tanilba Bay on September 17.

On September 16 there was one case in Boat Harbour and case each in Shoal Bay and Fingal Bay on September 15.

The last case to be reported in Raymond Terrace was back on September 14.

Other areas to record cases in the past fortnight include Salamander Bay, Soldiers Point, Fern Bay and Heatherbrae.

Meanwhile, stories of goodwill during these trying times continue to resonate across the Port with the latest coming from Port Stephens Family and Neighbourhood Services.

They posted on their Facebook page on Friday: "A lot of happy children today at Motto Farm Motel in Heatherbrae. Hunter Heroes were there helping them safely celebrate their first steps outside of their rooms while the adults got vaccinated. You have to say this about the Port Stephens community - we know how to work together and how to help each other."

The service paid tribute to the man organisations working together to ensure the families being impacted were well supported and cared for.

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