Manitoba’s coronavirus case counts jumps by 11 Monday, 1 patient in ICU

Health officials in Manitoba reported 11 new cases of novel coronavirus Monday, including one patient who is hospitalized in intensive care with the virus.

That means the province’s total number of lab-confirmed and probable cases reported since March sits at 354 after seven new cases were identified over the weekend.

The 18 new cases reported Monday and over the weekend include 11 people from the Interlake-Eastern health region, three people in Winnipeg, three from the Prairie Mountain Health region, and one case in the southern health region, Roussin said.

According to provincial data the cases include three women between 70 and 89 years old, three women in their 60s, two women in their 50s, two women and a man in their 40s, one woman and three men in their 30s, and three women in their 20s.

Manitoba hadn’t reported a new case for nearly two weeks before five cases were reported July 14. Health officials have since identified 24 new cases in six days.

This also marks the first time anyone has been hospitalized with the virus since June 6, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin, said Monday.

Roussin said the province’s high case count is reflective of an outbreak at several Hutterite colonies, as well some international travel-related cases, and one involving a truck driver.

He said Monday 10 of the recent cases are from Manitoba Hutterite colonies.

Roussin also said one of the people who have tested positive for COVID-19 was recently a passenger on several international and domestic flights.

The flights include Asiana flight OZ 0704 from Manila, Philippines to Seoul, South Korea on July 7, Air Canada AC 0064 Seoul to Vancouver on July 8 (rows 26 to 32) and Air Canada AC 0296 Vancouver to Winnipeg on July 8 (rows 21 to 27).

Passengers who were in the affected seats are being asked to self-isolate for 14 days following the flight and monitor for symptoms. Passengers on these flights, but not in the affected seats, should self-monitor for symptoms and self-isolate if they develop, the province said.

More information about flights and affected rows can be found on the province’s website.

As of Monday, there were 29 active COVID-19 cases in Mantioba and 318 individuals have recovered from the virus, Roussin said.

The number of deaths due to COVID-19 in Manitoba remains at seven.

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Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

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. In situations where you can’t keep a safe distance from others, public health officials recommend the use of a non-medical face mask or covering to prevent spreading the respiratory droplets that can carry the virus. In some provinces and municipalities across the country, masks or face coverings are now mandatory in indoor public spaces.

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