NSW has reported 30,825 new COVID-19 cases and 25 deaths as Premier Dominic Perrottet defends the government’s management of the pandemic amid increased pressure on the state’s hospitals.

There are 2781 people in hospital with the virus, of whom 212 are in intensive care units.

Of the new cases, 13,178 were detected from at-home kits and 17,647 from PCR tests.

The numbers are a decrease on the 32,297 infections and 2863 hospitalisations reported on Wednesday.

The new cases come after a high-ranking doctor from one of Sydney’s biggest hospitals lashed the “politically driven” management of the pandemic. NSW’s hospital system is under huge strain with about 5300 healthcare staff on leave due to COVID-19 exposure.

In a video briefing to junior staff, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital executive clinical director Professor Paul Torzillo told doctors that directives from state and federal health departments were being filtered by the hospital to determine what was appropriate for staff and patients.

Mr Perrottet said he was confident the state’s healthcare system was tracking better than best-case scenario modelling.

“That doesn’t mean the system isn’t under pressure, we are monitoring it with our health systems each and every day,” he said on ABC TV on Thursday morning.

“They’re doing an amazing job co-ordinating our health response while we’re under significant pressure.

“We are confident here, as we sit, that we have the capacity to manage, and the investments that we’ve made in the past have ensured that’s the case. But that does not mean that our health teams are not under stress.”

Of the 25 deaths recorded on Thursday, 16 were of men and nine were of women. One person was aged in their 30s, two in their 50s, five in their 60s, five in their 70s, seven in their 80s, four in their 90s and one was older than 100.

Sixteen had received at least two doses of a COVID-19 vaccine, one had received one dose and eight were not vaccinated.

NSW Health said the person aged in their 30s had received three doses of a COVID-19 vaccine and had serious underlying health conditions.

The 17,647 positive PCR results were returned from 73,259 tests, resulting in a positive rate of 24 per cent.