Despite fewer new COVID-19 cases, ‘we can’t let up’ By: Carol Sanders and Larry Kusch Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2020 Last Modified: 9:52 PM CDT Wednesday, Apr. 8, 2020 Updates

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This article was published 07/04/2020 (1723 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Since the first COVID-19 case was reported in Manitoba 27 days ago, Dr. Brent Roussin has been consistent in his daily message to Manitobans: Wash your hands, keep your distance.

It seems his social distancing mantra in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic may be having an impact.

On Wednesday, Roussin announced just four new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total in Manitoba to 221. He also revealed that a total of 69 persons are now listed as recovered from the coronavirus, an increase of 48 from the previous day.

In each of the last five days, the number of new cases reported in Manitoba has been 12 or less. The picture elsewhere in Canada is grimmer. On Wednesday, Ontario experienced its biggest one-day jump with 550 new cases, while Quebec now has the most fatalities among the provinces with 175 deaths from its 10,000 cases.

Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, isn’t prepared to read too much into the daily fluctuations, but there was a hint of optimism.

"These numbers may be a reflection of the benefit of our enhanced social distancing strategies and the hard work Manitobans put towards that," he said at his daily media briefing.

But Roussin said the positive signs could easily vanish if the public doesn’t remain vigilant, and he warned that the next two weeks will be crucial in the pandemic fight.

"Manitobans should not interpret the current case numbers to mean our risk is reduced," he said. "I need to make this clear — now is not the time to let our guards down."

That’s particularly true during the looming long weekend. he said.

As of Wednesday, there were 149 active cases of COVID-19 in Manitoba, compared with 185 on Sunday and 127 on April 1. Active cases are the total number of persons who have tested positive, minus the number who have recovered or died.

Roussin praised the efforts of the vast majority of people following Public Health Act orders and urged them not to stop now.

"We can’t let up. We can’t miss our opportunity," he said. "Our actions this weekend are critical to our numbers in the next week or two."

Three Manitobans have already succumbed to the virus — two men and a woman, all from Winnipeg. As of Wednesday, 12 people were in hospital with six in intensive care.

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The perils of Manitobans letting down their guard was evident this week when a respiratory outbreak at Health Sciences Centre turned out to be COVID-19.

Ten workers and four patients in a medicine unit at the HSC tested positive for the coronavirus, said Lanette Siragusa, chief nursing officer for Shared Health. The patients are in isolation and are being cared for, she said.

Health officials were able to trace contacts back to the initial case of COVID-19 in the unit, and none of the staff who tested positive has worked since April 1, Siragusa said.

Any staff who had close contact with any of the positive cases — including those who spend the majority of their day working in the affected unit — are self-isolating at home, she said.

Those who worked only intermittently on the unit, had indirect contact with the positive cases and are asymptomatic were able to return to work wearing universal PPE and monitoring their symptoms.

The infected unit has undergone a deep cleaning to prevent further spread of the virus and staff screening measures are still in effect, said Siragusa. Eight other health-care workers in Winnipeg and two in the Interlake-Eastern region have also tested positive for COVID-19.

“Manitobans should not interpret the current case numbers to mean our risk is reduced. I need to make this clear — now is not the time to let our guards down.” – Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer

Premier Brian Pallister announced the government would recall the legislature on April 15 to approve measures – some already announced – to fight the pandemic, including the freeing up of “billions of dollars” to bolster the health system.

Pallister said the plan is to convene one-third of members from each party to adhere to social distancing rules within the chamber. While details are being worked out with the two Opposition parties, the premier said he expects legislators won’t have to sit for more than a day.

MLAs will be asked to consider new rules allowing retired health care workers to rejoin the workforce. They will also consider legislative changes regarding enforcement of public health orders.

While the Public Health Act allows for fines against individuals and corporations that break the rules, Pallister said it wasn’t written with a pandemic such as COVID-19 in mind. On Wednesday, he wouldn’t detail the perceived shortcomings in the current legislation, but said the government would have more to say on the issue in the coming days.

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Pallister said he is proud that the majority of Manitobans are obeying physical distancing rules and avoiding gatherings, but further action is necessary "to discourage the profoundly small minority of people who aren’t thinking properly."

On Wednesday, the Saskatchewan government said anywhere from 3,075 to 8,370 could die in that province during the course of the pandemic. Several other provinces have also made grim projections in recent days.

Pallister said Manitoba health officials continue to work on projections for this province, and he hinted that the forecast might be coming soon. But he would not provide a precise date.

The premier repeated concerns that such projections are largely guesswork and that he does not want to add to Manitobans’ stress. He said he hopes they would give the public confidence that the province is prepared for various scenarios.

Meanwhile, with the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations expected to rise in the coming months, there continues to be a pressing need for personal protective equipment, especially gowns, gloves and high-level N95 masks.

"We are continually being challenged by the supply-chain changes," Siragusa said.

Issues with 3M, the N95 mask maker in Minnesota, and federal decisions about how to make sure personal protective equipment gets to Canadians when they need it is having an impact on Manitoba. "It’s affected our ability to access, order and receive supplies," she said.

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"Our supply stockpile has been significantly impacted by these pressures," she said.

The directive for all front-line health-care workers with close, prolonged patient contact to be outfitted with a full set of personal protective equipment will still be met during the week of April 13, she said.

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca