Manitoba reports 34 new coronavirus cases, outbreak ends at Brandon hospital

Health officials reported 34 new cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba Tuesday and say an outbreak declared at a unit of the Brandon Regional Health is over.

The second floor of the Assiniboine Building at Brandon’s hospital moved to critical (red) on the province’s pandemic response system in late August when several cases of the virus were linked to a unit on the floor.

The site has returned to the caution, or yellow, threat level as of Tuesday.

The 34 new cases were spread amongst the province, with two people in the Prairie Mountain Health region, one in the Northern health region, five in the Southern Health region, and 26 people in the Winnipeg region diagnosed.

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Provincial data shows 502 of the 606 active cases reported across Manitoba are in the Winnipeg area.

On Monday health officials put further restrictions on gathering sizes and added a mandatory mask order in Winnipeg and surrounding areas in an attempt to stem a growing case load in the region. The orders will remain in place for at least a month, the province has said.

Meanwhile another Winnipeg school reported a case of novel coronavirus Tuesday.

Health officials say someone with the virus attended IQRA School Sept. 23 and 24. They say the cohort has been told to self-isolate and move to remote learning.

A public health investigation has shown the infection wasn’t acquired at school and is assessed to be a low risk for those outside the cohort, the province said.

Health officials also reported possible exposure to COVID-19 at the Lens Crafters store at 1649 Kenaston Blvd. over several days, between Sept. 14 and 22.

A list of the dates and times of the latest exposures and data on cases by regions is available on the province’s website.

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Tuesday’s cases bring the total number of cases reported in Manitoba since March to 1,953. Health officials reported the province’s 20th death from the virus — a man in his 70s from Prairie Mountain Health region — Monday.

As of Tuesday Manitoba Health says 14 people are in hospital with COVID-19, including eight who are in intensive care.

Provincial data shows 1,789 tests were completed on Monday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February to 182,536.

Health officials say Manitoba’s five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate was at 2.2 per cent as of Tuesday morning.

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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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