Manitoba sets daily COVID case-count record Thursday with 603

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This article was published 19/05/2021 (1219 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba has set a record-high daily COVID-19 case count and test positivity rate.

There were 603 new cases announced Thursday by the province and a test positivity rate of 15.3 per cent in Winnipeg. (The World Health Organization last year recommended test positivity rates should be below five per cent for at least two weeks before public health restrictions are lifted.)

Manitobans are expected to find out later Thursday what this means for current public health restrictions.

During a news conference, Premier Brian Pallister indicated chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin would provide an update at 4 p.m. about more restrictions.

Three more Manitobans have died of the coronavirus: a man in his 50s from the Winnipeg health region; a woman in her 40s from Winnipeg linked to the B.1.1.7 variant; and a man in his 70s from Southern Health, also linked to B.1.1.7.

Of the new cases, 409 are in Winnipeg; 97 are in the Southern Health region; 41 are in Prairie Mountain; 36 are in Northern Health; and 20 are in the Interlake Eastern Health region.

Shared Health is expected to provide more information later Thursday on the recent transfer of COVID-19 patients to Thunder Bay, Ont. Over-capacity intensive care units in Manitoba necessitated the transport of three patients to hospital in the Northern Ontario city Tuesday and Wednesday.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Manitoba’s ICUs as of Thursday morning was 76. The pre-pandemic total capacity of ICUs in the province was 72.

In total, 291 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @thatkatiemay