Sydney's Covid-19 cases have slightly eased but still hover near record levels as the Australian federal government looks to press states to stick to a national reopening plan once the country reaches a 70-80 per cent vaccination rate, reports Reuters.

The national cabinet, a group of federal and state leaders, will meet later in the day against a backdrop of concerns by some states given the persistently high daily infections in Sydney even after two months under lockdown.

New South Wales has recorded 882 new cases, most of them in state capital Sydney, down from the record 1,029 on Thursday, as officials struggle to quell the Delta outbreak.

Two new deaths have been reported, while 117 people are in intensive care, 103 of them unvaccinated.