Another 14 Manitobans with COVID-19 have died and the virus put 185 more people in hospital last week, the province says.
The latest data was reported Thursday in the province’s weekly epidemiology update covering April 24-30, a week that saw 1,042 new cases reported in Manitoba, down from 1,436 reported the week before.
The province says on average, 840 lab-tests for COVID-19 were done every day during the week covered by the report, leaving the provincial weekly test positivity rate at 20.7 per cent.
But provincial case counts and positivity rates no longer necessarily give an accurate picture of active infection rates because the government has significantly scaled back provincial testing and they don’t include the results of positive tests done at home.
Since March 2020 1,819 Manitobans have died as a result of COVID-19, according to the provincial data.
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The province did not provide further details about the latest deaths. Information about COVID-19 victims including age, gender and health region are no longer included in the weekly updates.
The province reported 13 deaths linked to COVID-19 and 188 new hospital admissions (including 12 to intensive care units) a week earlier.
The 185 new hospitalizations reported Thursday include 12 people admitted to intensive care.
The province’s weekly updates don’t give the total number of people currently in hospital and ICU as a result of COVID-19, reporting only how many new admissions occurred during the previous week.
The province says 16 outbreaks were recorded in the week covered under the latest report, including 11 at long-term care homes.
Wastewater surveillance data for the Winnipeg up to April 21 indicated ongoing activity of COVID-19, with a “generalized stabilization in activity,” the province said.
Provincial data shows 82.8 per cent of eligible Manitobans have been partially vaccinated against COVID-19 and 79.6 per cent have been fully vaccinated. As of March 31st, 42.1 per cent of those eligible have received one additional dose, according to the report.
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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