Manitoba added 675 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, while also setting a new all-time high number of new cases on Saturday with 785, as the rolling five-day test positivity rate shot up to 19 per cent.
The new record number of cases came only a day after the province broke the previous record on Friday.
694 cases were also added Sunday, for a total of 2,154 new cases over the Christmas long weekend.
Of the new cases, 1,463 were reported in Winnipeg, where the test positivity rate jumped to 21.2 per cent.
It had been 14.7 per cent on Friday.
Eight more deaths were also reported over the three-day weekend: three on Saturday, two on Sunday and three on Monday.
Those who died ranged in age from 20s to 90s. All but two were from the Southern Health region. The others, a woman in her 90s and man in his 30s, were from the Prairie Mountain Health and Winnipeg regions, respectively.
The death toll now stands at 1,378.
Of Monday’s 675 new cases, 488 were in Winnipeg, 71 were in Prairie Mountain Health, 62 in Southern Health, 32 in the Interlake-Eastern region and 22 in the north.
158 people are presently hospitalized with COVID-19, up from 144 on Friday. Twenty-five of those are receiving intensive care, which is one more than Friday.
There are now 5,724 active cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, while 68,615 individuals are listed as recovered.
2,542 lab tests were completed Sunday, bringing the total since early February, 2020, to 1,259,338.
The province says health officials believe roughly three-quarters of all COVID-19 cases in Manitoba are now the Omicron variant. Subsequently, it says only certain samples will now be screened for the variant and Omicron cases will no longer be outlined specifically in bulletins.
Outbreaks have also been declared at Kin Place personal care home in Oakbank and Lodge 5 West at Deer Lodge Centre in Winnipeg.