Manitoba reports 145 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths since Wednesday

Manitoba is reporting 145 new COVID-19 cases over the past two days — 54 Friday and 91 on Canada Day.

Health officials are also reporting seven deaths over the two-day span.

The latest victims include:

• a woman in her 40s from the Winnipeg health region;
• a woman in her 50s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the B.1.1.7 (alpha) variant of concern;
• a woman in her 60s from the Southern health region, linked to the alpha variant of concern;
• a man in his 60s from the Southern health region, linked to the alpha variant of concern;
• a man in his 60s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the alpha variant of concern;
• a woman in her 70s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to an unspecified variant of concern; and
• a man in his 70s from the Southern health region.

Friday’s new cases include 23 in the Winnipeg health region, 11 in the Southern health region, six in the Prairie Mountain health region, five in the in the Northern health region, and nine in the Interlake-Eastern health region.

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There was no update on COVID-19 numbers in Manitoba on Thursday due to the holiday.

Health officials reported 70 new cases Wednesday and two deaths.

The five-day test-positivity rate dropped again Friday and stands at 5.4 per cent provincially and 4.8 per cent in Winnipeg.

Hospitalization rates also continue to drop. As of Friday morning officials say there were 163 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 173 Wednesday.

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Of those in hospital as a result of the virus, 49 are in ICU, including six receiving critical care in Ontario.

Since March 2020, Manitoba has reported 56,306 cases of COVID-19 and 1,147 deaths have been connected to the virus. There are currently 1,098 active COVID-19 cases across the province.

Officials said Friday a previously announced death, a man in his 30s from the Interlake-Eastern health region reported June 30, has been removed from the case totals due to a data correction.

Earlier this week the province said it’s planning on changing the schedule for COVID-19 updates through the summer.

Starting Saturday, daily media bulletins with updated numbers will be sent out Monday through Friday, instead of seven days a week.

Vaccine media bulletins will be sent out on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays.

Live media briefings with the chief provincial public health officer or the deputy chief provincial public health officer will be scheduled on Mondays going forward, and live updates will be held with the vaccine implementation task force on Wednesdays.

Online dashboards with case and vaccination numbers will continue to be updated daily, officials said.

–With files from The Canadian Press

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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.