Manitoba health officials say there are two new cases of the coronavirus in the province.
“I just want to remind Manitobans that we’re not done with this virus,” said Dr. Brent Roussin, the province’s chief medical health officer.
Manitoba now has 289 cases, with four people in hospital, one person in an intensive care unit and 35 active cases. A total of 247 people have recovered, he said.
On Sunday, three more cases of the novel coronavirus were announced in the province, two in the Prairie Mountain Health region and one in Winnipeg.
Roussin said the two Prairie Mountain Health region cases were part of a cluster of cases from a trucking company last week, bringing that cluster of cases to 10.
Both cases were “close contacts” of people there who have been diagnosed.
Monday’s two new cases were in the Prairie Health region as well, said Roussin, but were not connected to the cluster.
The daily briefings will now be done every other weekday, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, for the foreseeable future, Roussin added.
As of Sunday, an additional 374 laboratory tests were performed. This brings the total number of tests performed since early February to 31,029.
Mobile testing is now available through HealthLinks, said Siragusa, by appointment only. It will be only for people who cannot get to a testing site.
Siragusa added that Thunderbird House will open as a testing site this week.
The province is still looking at the possibility of a contact tracing app, said Roussin.
Asked about protests on the weekend where people claimed that COVID-19 was less deadly than the flu, Roussin said that’s not true.
The yearly flu has a fatality rate of about 0.1 per cent, while the novel coronavirus appears to have a fatality rate of two to three per cent, he said.
“It’s really clear this is more severe than a typical seasonal influenza flu, and the evidence is pretty clear on that.”
Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:
Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.
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. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.
To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.
For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.
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