Manitoba reports 494 COVID-19 cases, 6 deaths in last 3 days

Manitoba health officials say six people with COVID-19 have died and 494 new infections have been identified in the last three days.

The new cases include 156 reported Monday, 155 reported Sunday, and 183 identified Saturday.

Saturday’s case count marks the highest one-day jump in infections reported in the province since June 18, according to records kept by Global News.

There are currently 1,377 active COVID-19 cases in Manitoba. The province’s five-day test positivity rate sits at 5.4 per cent.

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Health officials also released details of three deaths reported Friday. The province’s nine latest COVID-19 deaths include:

• a woman in her 40s from Northern health region linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Friday);
• a woman in her 90s from Prairie Mountain Health linked to an unspecified variant of concern and the outbreak at Benito Personal Care Home (reported Friday);
• a man in his 70s from Prairie Mountain Health and linked to the outbreak at Health Sciences Centre GD2 (reported Friday);
• a woman in her 70s from Prairie Mountain Health linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Saturday);
• a woman in her 80s from Prairie Mountain Health linked to the outbreak at Benito Personal Care Home (reported Saturday);
• a man in his 70s from Southern Health (reported Saturday);
• a woman in her 70s from Southern Health (reported Saturday);
• a woman in her 80s from Winnipeg health region linked to an unspecified variant of concern (reported Sunday); and
• a woman in her 70s from Southern Health (reported Sunday).

The new cases reported Monday include 56 from the Southern Health region, 53 from the Winnipeg Health region, 31 from the Prairie Mountain Health region, nine from the Interlake-Eastern Health region, and seven from the Northern Health region.

According to provincial data, 70 of Manitoba’s latest infections are among people yet to be vaccinated. Ten were partially vaccinated and 76 were fully vaccinated.

Despite making up roughly 15 per cent of Manitoba’s total population, the Southern Health region has been reporting the highest daily case numbers for weeks now.

The region also has  a much lower rate vaccine uptake than other parts of the province.

While nearly 87 per cent of the eligible population has received at least one shot province-wide, just over 68 per cent of those eligible in Southern Health have been immunized, according to a provincial site tracking vaccination efforts.

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The Southern Health district is also driving COVID-19 hospitalization rates, with the area reporting the majority — 61 patients — of the 141 hospitalizations reported  province-wide as of Monday morning. There were 118 patients in hospital as a result of COVID-19 reported Friday.

Fifteen of the 26 people in ICU due to COVID-19 are also from the Southern Health region, health data shows.

Since March 2020 Manitoba has reported 64,701 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases and 1,262 deaths linked to the virus.

Outbreaks

Health officials reported several new COVID-19 outbreaks at health facilities Monday.

Outbreaks have been declared at:

• Health Sciences Centre GD4 medical unit in Winnipeg;
• Third Crossing Manor Personal Care Home in Gladstone;
• Neepawa Health Centre in Neepawa; and
• Russell Health Centre in Russell.

All four facilities have been moved to red, or critical on the province’s pandemic response system.

Meanwhile health officials said previously declared outbreaks have ended at at Health Sciences Centre GD2 surgery unit, École St. Malo School cohort grades 5 and 6, Springs Christian Academy Lagimodiere campus and Light of the North Covenant Church.