The novel coronavirus has claimed the lives of another two Manitobans and health officials say another 110 people have fallen ill with the virus.
The latest cases announced on the province’s online COVID-19 portal Thursday bring the province’s total number of cases reported since March to 29,968.
Since March, 837 Manitobans with COVID-19 have died.
The latest victims are both from the Winnipeg area and include a man in his 70s and a woman in her 90s linked to an outbreak at Southeast Personal Care Home.
The new infections include 26 cases in the Winnipeg Health region, five cases in the Southern Health region, seven cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region, 39 cases in the Northern Health region, and 33 cases in the Interlake-Eastern Health region.
Provincial data also shows there are 3,340 active cases and 25,791 people who have recovered from COVID-19.
As of Thursday morning, health officials said there are 109 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 155 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 264 hospitalizations.
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The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 6.7 per cent provincially and 3.6 per cent in Winnipeg.
There are 20 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as 16 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care for a total of 36 ICU patients.
Laboratory testing numbers show 2,183 tests were completed Wednesday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 484,302.
Health officials say outbreaks have been declared over at the Fairview Personal Care Home in Brandon and Seven Oaks General Hospital 5U1-3 in Winnipeg.
Manitoba announced 126 new cases and three additional deaths related to the virus on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day Thursday, Manitoba said it is considering loosening restrictions to allow restaurants, lounges, gyms and churches to reopen at a reduced capacity.
Current public health orders expire next week and the province is seeking public feedback about changes moving forward.
Non-essential businesses were forced to close in November as COVID-19 infections and deaths surged.
Chief Provincial Public Health Officer Dr. Brent Roussin says while numbers have significantly dropped, any steps to reopen must be taken cautiously.
–With files from The Canadian Press
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.
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