COVID-19: Delta variant linked to death of Winnipeg man in his 30s

The Delta COVID-19 variant has been linked to the death of a Winnipeg man in his 30s.

In June, doctors warned the Delta variant, first identified in India, was expected to become the dominant strain of the virus in Manitoba within weeks. Earlier this month, health officials said the variant had been found in all five of Manitoba’s health regions.

Health officials released no further details about the province’s latest COVID-19  victim in a Wednesday release, but did say he had been stricken with the more-contagious Delta strain.

Since the first Delta case was identified here in late April, 603 cases have been reported and three Manitobans with the strain have died, according to a provincial variant database. 

Of Manitoba’s 916 active COVID-19 cases, 595 are variants of concern, and 41 of those are the Delta variant. The province’s website says 171 active variant cases are yet to be specified.

0:48 Delta variant accounts for 88% of COVID-19 cases in Ontario: Yaffe

Of the 16,385 variant cases that have been reported in Manitoba since February, the most common continues to be Alpha variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, with 7,080 cases.

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But another 8,396 variant cases remained unspecified as of current, and the deaths of 23 Manitobans have been linked to variant strains that remain unspecified.

Meanwhile, Manitoba continues to report relatively low new daily COVID-19 case numbers, with 44 new infections announced Wednesday.

Sixteen of the latest cases were found in the Winnipeg Health region, 12 were reported in the Interlake-Eastern Health region, 11 come from the Southern Health region, three were reported in the Northern Health region, and two were found in the Prairie Mountain Health region, according to a provincial release.

0:42 COVID-19: Delta variant found in all Manitoba health regions, faster testing for strain coming

The five-day test positivity rate is 3.5 per cent provincially and 2.9 per cent in Winnipeg.

As of Wednesday morning there are 105 Manitobans in hospital as a result of COVID-19, including 29 who require intensive care.

Health officials say 1,897 lab tests for COVID-19 were completed Tuesday.

Since March 2020, 1,166 Manitobans with COVID-19 have died and the province has reported 57,269 of the virus.

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.