Health officials say 11 more Manitobans with COVID-19 have died while the province saw a slight decline in hospitalizations due to the virus last week.
The province’s latest epidemiology update shows 110 people were admitted to hospital between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5, down from 116 the week before.
Of the latest hospitalizations, eight were admitted to the intensive care unit, according to the report. The previous week saw seven ICU admissions due to the virus.
It’s not known how many people are currently in hospital and ICU as a result of COVID-19, because the province no longer reports those numbers.
While 11 new deaths were reported last week, the province’s COVID-19 death toll rose to 2,256 in Thursday’s report— 24 more deaths than had been reported a week earlier.
The province has said the number of deaths can fluctuate week to week as previous cases are confirmed or removed from the list.
There were also 11 deaths linked to COVID-19 announced in Manitoba in the province’s last epidemiology update covering Oct. 23-29.
Officials say the number of new cases dropped last week, with 341 lab-confirmed infections identified in the latest report, down from 411 the previous week.
With an average of 320 tests completed a day, the positivity rate of lab tests fell to 25 per cent from 28.7 per cent the previous week.
Provincial case counts and test positivity rates don’t necessarily give an accurate picture of active infection rates, however, because the government has significantly scaled back testing and the data doesn’t include the results of tests done at home.
Officials said there were nine outbreaks reported at Manitoba long-term care homes between Oct. 30 and Nov. 5
Wastewater surveillance data for Winnipeg shows a decreased activity of COVID-19 in the city from mid-October, officials said.
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.
Comments