Winnipeg woman in her 30s among 5 new coronavirus deaths Monday

Health officials say five more Manitobans with COVID-19 have died and another 118 infections of the virus have been identified across the province.

The latest victims include a woman in her 30s from Winnipeg, the second-straight day someone in their 30s has died from COVID-19 in Manitoba.

The other deaths announced Monday include:

• a woman in her 60s from the Winnipeg health region;
• a woman in her 90s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to an outbreak at River Ridge II Retirement Residence;
• a woman in her 90s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to an outbreak at Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home; and
• a woman in her 90s from the Winnipeg health region.

Monday’s new cases include 80 cases in the Winnipeg Health region, 19 cases in the Southern Health region, seven cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region, five cases in the Northern Health region, and seven cases in the Interlake-Eastern Health region.

1:52 Coronavirus: Manitoba’s top doctor says still no reported cases of COVID-19 variant in province

Since March, Manitoba has now recorded 25,244 lab-confirmed cases of novel coronavirus and 688 people with the virus have died.

While case numbers are continuing a downward trend since public health orders were tightened in November, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, Dr. Brent Roussin said demands on the health-care system and the percentage of people testing positive remain high.

The orders, which have closed non-essential businesses, banned large gatherings, and forbidden nearly all contact outside of households, are set to expire Jan. 8.

Roussin said it’s too soon to say if the orders will change, adding he’s watching to see what effect gathering over the holidays will have on daily numbers.

“So it’s premature to right now determine any changes to our restrictions,” he said.

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There are currently 245 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 95 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 340 hospitalizations.

There are 35 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as six people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care for a total of 41 ICU patients.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 10.7 per cent provincially and 11.8 per cent in Winnipeg as of Monday morning.

Manitoba’s chief nursing officer, Lanette Siragusa said Monday Manitoba’s ICUs are currently working at 157 per cent their normal capacity pre-COVID-19.

She said while hospitalization numbers appear to be stabilizing, numbers are still too high — especially in the critical care units.

1:34 COVID-19 vaccination: the latest from Manitoba

Siragusa said there are currently 43 outbreaks at personal care homes across the province, including a new one declared Monday at he Heritage Life Personal Care Home in Niverville. But she said outbreaks at 25 of the facilities have two or fewer active cases.

Meanwhile health officials said Monday a previously declared outbreak at the Beausejour Hospital in Beausejour has ended.

Laboratory testing numbers show 1,275 tests were completed Sunday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February to 427,476.

Provincial data shows there are 4,423 known active cases and 20,133 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19.

COVID-19 variant not detected in Manitoba: Roussin

During a briefing Monday Roussin said Manitoba has still not seen a case of the COVID-19 variant first identified in the United Kingdom.

The U.K. variant, which has been discovered in other province, is believed to be more contagious, but it is not believed to cause more severe illness or resistance to vaccines.

The province is advising anyone who has travelled outside Canada to be tested immediately upon arrival back  in Manitoba, and then again after seven days, even if no symptoms are present.

Roussin said all travelers should self-isolate immediately upon into Manitoba and continue quarantining for a full 14-days regardless of symptoms and test results.

1:56 The variant strain of COVID-19 first discovered in the UK is detected in B.C.

He said anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 who has been in close contact with an international traveler should let public health officials know during the public health investigation and follow-up.

Ontario has reported three more cases of the U.K. coronavirus variant Monday, bringing the total number of known cases in the province to six.

On Monday British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a new national lockdown for England until at least mid-February to combat the fast-spreading variant

–With files from The Canadian Press, Brittany Greenslade, and Ryan Rocca

1:34 COVID-19 vaccination: the latest from Manitoba

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.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.