Health authorities say the deaths were of six women and six men. One each were aged in their 50s, two in their 70s and four each in their 80s and 90s.
Nine were double-vaccinated, one triple-dosed and two unvaccinated.
The state's toll since the beginning of the pandemic stands at 1813.
Some 1297 virus patients remain in hospitals across the state, with 81 of them requiring intensive care and 40 in need of ventilation.
Of the positive results returned in the 24 hours to Saturday evening, 4768 were collected using rapid antigen kits and 2847 processed in labs from just more than 30,000 tests.
NSW Health says there have been almost 350,000 positive RATs recorded since reporting began on January 13.
At the same time, 32 COVID-19 cases detected by PCR tests have been excluded following further investigation and 361 previously reported as RAT-positive have been confirmed as PCR-positive.
The re-adjustments bring the total number of cases detected in PCR labs to 899,804.
On the vaccination front, the department's Dr John Hall says 50.8 per cent of eligible NSW residents have now received a booster dose.
Walk-in Saturday and Sunday clinics would operate during the next three weekends in the hope that more households could declare themselves fully jabbed, he said.
Almost 79 per cent of children 12-15 are now double-vaccinated while 46.3 per cent of those aged 5-11 have had their first jab.
Meanwhile, NSW pubs and nightclubs have put a "terrible" few months in the rear-view mirror with patrons enjoying outings without COVID-19 restrictions.
Mitchell Crum, the owner of Sydney's Lord Gladstone Hotel, says things went viral when he posted a Facebook event on Friday to celebrate restrictions easing.
Colleague Graham Cordery has also declared a "return to normal" at his Surry Hills live music venue The Soda Factory, where he says there's "a real air of positivity".
Premier Dominic Perrottet announced of a number of COVID-19 restrictions would be rolled back on Friday, including QR code check-ins and the ban on singing and dancing in hospitality venues.
Mr Perrottet said it had been a "very difficult two years".
"Many people have made enormous sacrifices but the efforts that have been made ... ensured we've seen downward pressure on our hospital system," he said.
Singing and dancing can resume in most settings, the two-metre density limit for indoor venues has been scrapped and QR check-ins are only required for nightclubs and music festivals with more than 1000 patrons.
The requirement to wear face masks will also mostly cease next Friday.
Research released on Friday show NSW has been able to safely return children to classrooms.
The study led by Sydney University infectious disease specialist Archana Koirala, found no dramatic increase in transmission in school settings despite high numbers of exposures in the final term of 2021.
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