Manitoba reports another COVID-19 death, 164 new cases

Another Manitoban with COVID-19 has died, and health officials say 164 new infections of the virus have been identified Wednesday.

The virus’s latest victim is a man in his 50s from the Northern Health region — the 961st Manitoban’s death linked to the virus since March 2020.

Of the new cases, 76 were reported in the Winnipeg Health region, 24 were reported in the Southern Health region, 19 came from the Prairie Health region, 30 were reported in the Northern Health region, and 15 were identified in the Interlake-Eastern Health region.

The province’s list of confirmed COVID-19 cases grows to 36,632 after health officials removed two previously announced cases due to data correction.

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According to an online provincial portal that tracks the more contagious spread of variants of concern, 30 new cases were added as of Wednesday.

Health officials warned of recent possible exposures to the B.1.1.7 strain first identified in the United Kingdom at a McDonald’s restaurant in Thompson.

They say the infected person was at the restaurant at 217 Mystery Lake Rd. on April 8 from 4 p.m. to 12 a.m.; on April 10 and 11 from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.; and on April 13 and 14 from 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Anyone who was at the restaurant and is now experiencing symptoms should immediately go for testing, health officials say.

The latest information on variants of concern shows 804 cases have been identified in Manitoba since February, including 704 B.1.17 cases, 20 of the B.1.351 variant first found in South Africa, and two of the P.1 variant, first identified in Brazil. There are also 78 variant cases that have yet to be classified.

Health officials say there are currently 1,833 active COVID-19 cases across the province, including 232 variants of concern infections.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 6.3 per cent provincially and 6.6 per cent in Winnipeg.

There are now 137 people in hospital as a result of novel coronavirus and 34 patients in ICU connected to the virus, according to provincial data.

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A new outbreak was declared Wednesday at St. Maurice Daycare Inc., in Winnipeg.

Meanwhile, health officials say previously declared outbreaks have ended at:

• Boyne Lodge Personal Care Home, in Carman;
• Boissevain Hospital, in Boissevain
• Evergreen Place Personal Care Home, in Boissevain;
• MD Practice Solutions of Manitoba Inc., in Winnipeg;
• Health Sciences Centre unit GD4, in Winnipeg;
• Donwood Manor, in Winnipeg;
• Heritage Lodge, in Winnipeg;
• Lions Manor Personal Care Home, in Winnipeg;
• Meadowood Manor, in Winnipeg;
• Oakview Place, in Winnipeg and
• Parkview Place, in Winnipeg

A full list of current outbreaks and possible exposure sites is listed on the province’s website.

Laboratory testing numbers show 2,785 tests were completed Tuesday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 630,143.

Manitoba announced 211 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death from the virus on Tuesday.

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, visit our coronavirus page.