Another Manitoban with COVID-19 dies in care at location out of province

Another Manitoban with COVID-19 has died while in critical care outside of the province.

Officials confirmed Wednesday a woman in her 70s, who was transferred to a hospital in Ontario on June 4, has since died.

She is the 12th Manitoban with COVID-19 to die in care outside of Manitoba since the province started sending patients to Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta for care in mid-May, due to a lack of ICU bed space here.

The province didn’t say when the latest victim died, and said her death will be reflected in Manitoba’s COVID-19 death toll in the coming days.

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Health officials also reported the deaths of two COVID-19 patients in Manitoba Wednesday, both connected with more contagious variants of concern.

In all 57 critically ill COVID-19 patients have been transported out of the province for care since May 18, including 53 patients to Ontario, two to Alberta and two to Saskatchewan.

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Nine patients remain in care in Ontario and 36 have returned to Manitoba for care, officials said Wednesday.

As of Wednesday morning, there were 121 patients in Manitoba ICUs, including 55 COVID-19 patients. Of those critically ill COVID-19 patients in Manitoba, officials say 17 are under the age of 40.

Prior to COVID-19. health officials have said Manitoba’s ICU capacity was 72 patients.

Health officials reported 70 new COVID-19 cases across Manitoba on Wednesday.

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.