Manitoba is reporting more than 1,000 new COVID-19 infections for the first time since the pandemic began.
Just over two weeks after Manitoba’s top doctor warned that COVID-19 cases could climb over 1,000 a day in the new year, health officials reported 1,123 new infections Thursday.
The infections set a new record as Manitoba’s highest one-day jump in cases. New records have now been set for the last three days in a row.
A provincial site tracking COVID-19 data shows three more people with COVID-19 have died, bringing the province’s death toll to 1,387.
The number of Manitobans hospitalized with COVID-19 climbed to 190 Thursday, nine more patients than were reported just 24 hours earlier.
There are also 29 people in intensive care units as a result of the virus, no change from Wednesday.
The largest jump in new infections came from the Winnipeg Health region where 764 cases were reported Thursday.
Another 111 cases were reported in the Southern Health region, 93 were found in the Prairie Mountain Health region, 40 were reported in the Northern Health region and 115 were found in the Interlake-Eastern Health region.
Health officials say there are now 8,418 known active COVID-19 cases across the province.
But Manitoba’s chief public health officer has said the actual number of cases is likely much higher due to a backlog in testing and because officials have said anyone under 40 with symptoms should assume they have the virus and not necessarily go for testing.
Meanwhile, Manitoba’s five-day test positivity rate rose to 27.3 per cent, more than three points higher than Wednesday, and more than two-and-a-half times the rate reported just a week ago.
Since March 2020, Manitoba has now reported 78,606 lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases. Of those, 68,801 people have recovered, according to provincial data.
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.
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