Manitoba has two new presumptive positive cases of COVID-19.
The new cases announced late in the afternoon Wednesday brings the total number of lab-confirmed positive and presumptive positive cases of novel coronavirus in Manitoba to 17.
Health officials say the new cases include a woman in her 50s and a man in his 70s. Both live in Winnipeg.
Public health investigations have begun and at this time, and it appears that both cases are travel related, the province said.
Manitoba announced its first case of COVID-19 last Thursday.
All of the previously announced cases have been from Winnipeg except for a man and woman from the the Southern Health Santé-Sud Health region, and a man from the Interlake region.
So far only one of Manitoba’s cases hasn’t been directly linked to travel.
At a press conference earlier in the day Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief public health officer, said further information about travel is pending for that remaining case.
More than 2,100 people have been screened for COVID-19 across Manitoba over the last six days, Roussin said.
The province said a new community testing site — the ninth in the province and the first drive-thru site — opened Wednesday afternoon in Selkirk.
The Selkirk site will see referred patients screened by health-care workers. If necessary, they will be registered, tested and given advice on what to do while awaiting results without leaving their vehicle.
There are also four sites in Winnipeg, as well as locations in Brandon, Thompson, Flin Flon and The Pas.
The province stresses all the testing sites are by referral only and are not walk-in clinics.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 should call Health Links–Info Santé at 204-788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 before arriving at a testing site.
The province has also launched an online testing tool to help those worried they may need to be tested for the virus to determine whether or not to call Health Links/Info Santé or seek other medical advice.
Concerned about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials say the risk for Canadians is low.
Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing – very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent hand washing and coughing into your sleeve — if you get sick, stay at home.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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