Five deaths, 243 new COVID-19 cases for Manitoba

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This article was published 05/11/2020 (1512 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman in her 40s is among five COVID-19 deaths reported by the province Friday, as Manitoba’s test positivity rate surpassed nine per cent and 243 new infections were added to the case totals.

Manitoba reported the first pandemic death connected to the Northern Health region: a woman in her 40s who lived in the Island Lake area.

Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said a woman in her 60s from Interlake–Eastern, a Winnipeg man in his 90s who resided at Maples care home, and a man and a woman, both in their 90s, who were patients at Victoria General Hospital in Winnipeg and diagnosed with the virus while receiving care at the facility, also died from the disease.

On Friday, Manitoba’s pandemic death total had reached 96. Since Oct. 30, 34 people have died from COVID-19.

Officials said 161 people were in hospital with the disease, including 20 in intensive care. The provincial five-day test positivity rate was 9.1 per cent; in Winnipeg, it was 9.2 per cent.

Roussin implored Manitobans to follow the restrictions in effect in their respective regions, reduce the number of people they come into contact with, and to stay home as much as possible, in a bid to lessen the burden on the health-care system.

Those who are at higher risk for severe outcomes need to focus on staying home, except for essential reasons, Roussin said.

“We’re going to see these numbers turn around. We may not be back to normal in the near-future, but we will be able to remove some of these restrictions as we see our numbers improving,” he said.

Roussin also asked individuals and businesses to quit looking for loopholes in public health orders.

“There shouldn’t be Manitobans right now looking at ways to further the ability to gather. We just have to work together.”

The province’s top doctor also offered an update on major COVID-19 outbreaks in health-care settings in Winnipeg.

At Parkview Place long-term care home, 147 people have tested positive so far (36 staff, 111 residents), 23 residents have died.

There were 176 cases at Maples care home (55 staff, 121 residents); nine residents have died. (Both Parkview and Maples are operated by Ontario-based Revera Inc.)

At the Victoria General Hospital, Roussin said an outbreak in two patient care units has grown to 67 infections (34 staff and 33 patients).

One more patient at St. Boniface Hospital has tested positive for the virus, as of Friday, bringing the total number of infections to 26 patients and 16 staff.

Of the 243 new cases reported Friday, 17 were in Interlake–Eastern, 23 in the Northern region, 15 in Prairie Mountain, 52 new cases in Southern Health, and 136 in Winnipeg.

On Thursday, 2,212 laboratory tests were completed. The province said in order to maintain testing capacity, at this time, people without symptoms may be turned away from testing sites.

The total number of COVID-19 cases since March was 7,419. According to the province, 4,286 cases are active and 3,037 people have recovered.

New outbreaks were also declared at The Pas Homeless Shelter–Oscar’s Place, and St. Norbert personal care home in Winnipeg (one resident).

The sites have been moved to critical, code red, on the pandemic response system.

The Minor Illness and Injury Clinic now offers COVID-19 testing with a drive-thru format in the parking lot of Red River College’s Notre Dame Campus (2055 Notre Dame Ave.) in Winnipeg.

In Swan River, a new appointment-based indoor COVID-19 testing site will open Monday (621 Main St.).

— with files from Carol Sanders

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca