Manitoba hits 2nd dose vaccination milestone, 44 new COVID-19 cases reported

Manitoba reported 44 new COVID-19 cases as the province reached a vaccine milestone Friday.

According to a provincial website tracking vaccinations, 75 per cent of eligible Manitobans have now received two shots of vaccine. The site says 81.2 per cent have received at least one dose.

The new infections reported online Friday include five in the Interlake-Eastern Health region, one from the Northern Health region, four from the Prairie Mountain Health region, 18 in the Southern Health region and 16 in the Winnipeg Health region.

Manitoba’s COVID-19 death toll remains unchanged at 1,188, according to the province’s website.

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Health data shows there are currently 303 active cases of the virus in Manitoba, including 156 confirmed to be variants of concern.

Manitoba’s five-day test positivity rate is 2.1 per cent.

Health officials report 62 patients in hospital and 15 who are in intensive care as a result of COVID-19.

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Manitoba reported 27 new COVID-19 cases and one additional death linked to the virus Thursday.

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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.