Public Health Officials say they are seeing a bump in cases after the holiday season.

Public health officials advise 12 additional deaths in people with COVID-19 have been reported today including:
• a male in his 30s from Northern health region;
• a male in his 60s from Prairie Mountain Health;
• a female in her 90s from Prairie Mountain Health, linked to the outbreak at Fairview Personal Care Home;
• a female in her 60s from the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region;
• a female in her 50s from the Winnipeg health region;
• a female in her 60s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the Convalescent Home of Winnipeg;
• a female in her 70s from the Winnipeg health region;
• a female in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region;
• a female in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the outbreak at the Concordia Personal Care Home;
• a female in her 80s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the outbreak at the River East Personal Care Home;
• a male in his 90s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the outbreak at the Charleswood Care Centre; and
• a female in her 90s from the Winnipeg health region, linked to the outbreak at the Bethania Mennonite Personal Care Home.

The current five-day COVID-19 test positivity rate is 9.9 per cent provincially and 10.5 per cent in Winnipeg. As of 9:30 a.m. today, 208 new cases of the virus have been identified. However, seven were removed due to data corrections making the net new total 201. This brings the total number of lab-confirmed cases in Manitoba to 25,742.

Today’s COVID-19 data shows:
• nine cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region;
• 60 cases in the Northern health region;
• 17 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region;
• 17 cases in the Southern Health–Santé Sud health region; and
• 105 cases in the Winnipeg health region.

The data also shows:
• 4,506 active cases and 20,519 individuals who have recovered from COVID-19;
• there are 228 people in hospital with active COVID-19 as well as 91 people in hospital with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require care, for a total of 319 hospitalizations;
• there are 31 people in intensive care units with active COVID-19 as well as four people with COVID-19 who are no longer infectious but continue to require critical care for a total of 35 ICU patients; and
• the total number of deaths due to COVID-19 is 717.

Laboratory testing numbers show 2,132 tests were completed yesterday bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February 2020 to 432,839. Case investigations continue and if a public health risk is identified, the public will be notified.

Public health officials advise a COVID-19 outbreak has been declared at the McCreary/Alonsa Health Centre in McCreary. The site has been moved to Critical (red) on the #RestartMB Pandemic Response System.

The outbreak has been declared over at Seine River Retirement Home in Winnipeg.

Possible exposure locations are listed online by region at the province’s #RestartMB Pandemic Response System webpage. For up-to-date information on possible public exposures to COVID-19 in regions, visit www.gov.mb.ca/covid19/updates/flights.html#event and click on your region.

Additional data related to COVID-19, including data on outbreaks as well as some downloadable and historic data, can be found at https://manitoba.ca/openmb/datamb/.
 
Personal care home residents will soon be able to welcome loved ones for visits in the province’s new COVIsitation spaces, which are being installed at 125 personal care homes (PCH) and other sites across the province. 
 
These all-season shelters have been carefully developed and constructed with every COVID-19 precaution to allow residents to safely and comfortably participate in social visits with family members and loved ones. 

During Critical (red) restrictions, the shelters will accommodate a maximum of one general visitor at a time to visit with a PCH resident. For those PCHs without an all-season COVIsitation shelter, designated visitation rooms have been identified to support visits with similar precautions in place. Visitor screening for symptoms of or exposure to COVID-19 remains in place, masks must be worn by visitors and residents, and physical distancing maintained for the duration of the visits.