Manitoba reports 36 COVID-19 cases, 1 new death

Manitoba health officials reported 36 new COVID-19 cases and one death connected to the virus Tuesday.

It’s the lowest one-day increase in new cases the province has seen since early March.

The death linked to the virus was that of a man in his 70s from the Southern Health region, the province said. Manitoba’s COVID-19 death toll now sits at 1,152.

The latest cases include 24 in the Winnipeg Health region,  three in the Southern Health region, two in the Prairie Mountain Health region, two in the Northern Health region, and five in the Interlake-Eastern Health region.

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Provincial data shows there are 972 active cases in Manitoba, 598 of which are variants of concern. The five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 5.9 per cent provincially and 5.7 per cent in Winnipeg.

Two previously announced cases have been removed due to what the province calls data corrections, bringing Manitoba’s total reported caseload to 56,516.

As of Tuesday morning, officials said there were 155 Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19, down one from Wednesday.

Of those in hospital as a result of the virus, 42 are in ICU, including six receiving critical care in Ontario.

Health officials said 989 tests for COVID-19 were completed Monday.

Manitoba reported 65 new cases and one death connected to the virus Monday.

Rise in Delta variant numbers

Meanwhile, the latest provincial data on variants of concern shows the Delta strain, first identified in India, is continuing to spread in Manitoba.

According to a provincial online database keeping track of variants, Manitoba has now seen 381 cases of the Delta strain, up from the 275 reported when the site was last updated Saturday.

At least 29 Delta strain cases remain active in Manitoba, according to the site.

On Friday, as officials said the Delta variant has now been found in all five regional health authorities, deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal told media the province would be starting a new sampling process to include faster screening for both the Delta and Kappa variants as of Tuesday.

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He said the process, which used to take seven to 10 days, would instead bring confirmation of the Delta and Kappa strains in 48 hours to 72 hours.

The most dominant variant in Manitoba continues to be the Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, with 6,948 cases reported since February. At least 434 Alpha cases are listed as active in the province.

There are also 132 active variant of concerns listed as “unspecified” on the province’s website. In all Manitoba has recorded 8,156 variant cases that have yet to be specified, according to data found the site.

Manitoba has recorded a total of 15.772 variant cases since February, and the strains have been linked to 158 deaths.

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.