Manitoba has 67 new cases of the novel coronavirus, say Manitoba health officials.
The new cases bring Manitoba’s total to 863 active cases, with a total of 2,344. Deaths remain at 27.
Of the new cases, 57 are in Winnipeg, six are in Southern Health, three in the Interlake and one in Prairie Mountain.
There are now 25 people in hospital, including six in intensive care. Some 1,454 people have recovered and a total of 200,710 tests have been done, with a record number of tests of 2,736 on Wednesday.
There were new possible exposures announced as well, including at Seven Oaks Middle School Sept. 28-30, and Earl Grey School on Sept. 29 and 30, as well as Oct. 7.
Edge Lounge and Night Club in Steinbach is also a possible exposure site, on Oct. 4 from 2 to 6 p.m., and Riding Mountain Village Canada Post outlet in the No. 5 Store on Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, and Oct. 5 and 6 from 1 to 3 p.m.
The regular Thursday update comes after a week of records for the province, including three deaths in one day and the highest number of tests done in one day at 2,395, both reported on Wednesday.
Long line-ups for testing are still a problem in Manitoba, although on Monday Health Minister Cameron Friesen assured the media they were working on it.
Test results are now taking anywhere from five to seven to receive, according to several people who have taken the test recently.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, said the province is aware of the long line ups and said the entire system is being scrutinized to see where they can make things faster.
He could not confirm opening dates for new testing sites, saying there were too many “moving parts.”
Roussin said he is concerned to see the numbers rise, and the fact there have been seven deaths in the past eight days.
“We know that the majority of people that contract COVID-19 recover, but we know there is a relatively predictable amount of individuals who will see more severe outcomes,” said Roussin.
He urged people to take precautions around Thanksgiving this weekend.
Roussin said there is no backlog with testing sites but notification can take longer.
“If we look at the total turnaround time … that’s when the sample comes to the lab,” he said. “That total turnaround time can be up to 60 hours, and of course there are outliers.”
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