COVID-19 in Manitoba: when to get a test, who needs to isolate and what’s up with contact tracing

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This article was published 29/12/2021 (995 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba officials have given conflicting information on what to do if you get sick or have an exposure to COVID-19.

Here’s a summary of the rules from staff at test sites, the latest instruction manual for public-health nurses and a recent statement from Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer.

I did a rapid test and it came back negative. What do I do now?

Those who get rapid tests from a government testing site are told to do three tests, one day apart. If all three tests come back negative, you can leave isolation if you had symptoms but no known COVID-19 exposure​, and those symptoms have cleared. 

Officials have told some people with negative results that they can leave isolation as soon as their symptoms clear, while others have been told to wait for 24 hours with no symptoms. 

But if you have a known exposure to COVID-19, you’re supposed to stick with the 10 days of isolation from the date you encountered the infected individual, even if your rapid tests came back negative.

I did a rapid test and it came back positive. What do I do now?

You’re supposed to get a PCR — polymerase chain reaction — lab test, if you can manage to get an appointment. But Roussin says that if you’re healthy and under age 40, you can probably stay home and inform your contacts that you likely have COVID-19.

For fully vaccinated people, isolation periods have been shortened to five days from 10 since the date of a test, if the individual is not showing symptoms. 

If an individual’s symptoms are improving and they do not have a fever, they may stop quarantine after five days since either the date their symptoms started appearing or the date of their test, whichever is later. 

For people who are not fully vaccinated, isolation will be required for 10 days after the date of their test if their symptoms are improving and they do not have a fever. 

Household close contacts who are exempt from self-isolation are asked to be cautious while a case is isolated and avoid any non-essential visits to high-risk settings or non-essential contact with individuals at high-risk for severe disease.

But if you need a proof of COVID-19 in order to take time off work, it’s off to the test site. Dress warm and bring a snack. Most sites require an appointment for a PCR test, so check online before heading out — and you might not get an appointment until after your isolation period has cleared.

Some Free Press readers are still waiting for a result seven days after being tested.

Do I tell public health about my rapid test result?

No, the Manitoba government is not tracking this data, unlike some other jurisdictions.

There is one exception, in the instruction manual for nurses: when someone takes a rapid test on the spot at a testing site, the nurses could register that result as a presumptive case, but that probably won’t show up in the daily case counts.

How will public health tell me about my PCR test result?

If you have a Manitoba health card, you should be able to access the result through the online Shared Health portal, or by waiting for a phone call.

Roussin said Wednesday that in some areas, one-third of people aren’t picking up the phone, and that this is a significant change from previous months. That could be due to people not answering calls from unknown numbers. Some, but not all, cell phones will display the caller as “Public Health.”

Manitoba does not issue text messages about results, unlike some other jurisdictions.

What if my online result says the PCR test result is “cancelled”?

Central Services Minister Reg Helwer said Thursday this is a data bug; the sample is actually being transferred between labs, but has not been cancelled.

Does my family have to isolate at home?

Household contacts of someone who has tested positive for COVID-19 who are double-vaccinated and don’t have symptoms don’t have to isolate. That’s a long-standing policy still in effect as of the start of this week; Manitoba officials have said they are considering having everyone isolate.

The nurses’ manual advises people to wear a mask and keep a distance from an infected person.

It also says public-health officers can opt to require vaccinated contacts to self-isolate in higher-risk scenarios. “This may include outbreak settings where a higher number of breakthrough infections have been observed, particularly in a setting with individuals at higher risk for severe outcomes,” such as First Nation reserves.

That might include sending people to government-provided isolation sites if they can’t avoid contact with high-risk groups.

Some workplaces, businesses and institutions have stricter rules that forbid employees and patrons from entering if they have a known contact with COVID-19.

If contacts are not vaccinated, they all have to isolate until the test result arrives, even if that person is not symptomatic.

Should contacts get a test?

Officially, the nurses’ manual advises that “testing is recommended for fully immunized close contacts once between 5 to 7 days after exposure,” but it’s clear Manitoba labs cannot handle that demand.

Is contact tracing happening?

Not as of Dec. 20. Manitobans are being asked to inform everyone they’ve come in contact with during their period of communicability, which is defined as 48 hours before symptoms emerged.

That also means that contacts aren’t being registered into the government’s health database, meaning Manitoba is no longer tracking how many contacts each positive case has reported.

“Public health will still assist with contact management in settings at higher risk of transmission or severe outcomes, which includes schools/daycares, health and community care facilities, congregate settings without occupational health/COVID-19 response (e.g. shelters, assisted living), and current outbreak settings,” reads the latest version of the nurses’ manual.

The COVID Alert App is still functional, but works only if you get a PCR test, at which point you have to ask nurses for a code to activate the notification. Some have reported long delays in reaching nurses.

Will Manitoba drop its isolation timeline?

We don’t know yet. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has dropped its isolation timeline from 10 days to five. The agency said that is because Omicron-variant symptoms generally emerge sooner than other strains of COVID-19 — as do high viral loads, making rapid tests more useful than with the original COVID-19 strain. Still, the move has been controversial among infectious-disease experts.

Manitoba is considering whether to follow suit. Roussin explained the factors he’s weighing:

“The shorter that period, we have the benefit of people getting out of isolation sooner, maybe more likely to go get tested (and) certainly alleviate some of the strain on some sectors by doing that,” he said. “The risk is we have still some people (who) will be infectious after that period.”

I have COVID-19; what if my symptoms get worse?

Manitoba suspended active monitoring as of Dec. 20, meaning a call centre will no longer check in with people who have COVID-19 and are isolating at home. Exceptions might be made for certain vulnerable groups.

It’s up to you to call Health Links (204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257) if your symptoms worsen; they can advise whether you need to go to the hospital.

 

dylan.robertson@freepress.mb.ca