WINNIPEG — Manitoba is reporting one new presumptive positive COVID-19 (coronavirus) case, bringing the total number of cases in the province to eight.
The latest patient is a man in his 80s from Winnipeg who was exposed to the virus through recent travel.
Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, says the pandemic situation is rapidly evolving and again discouraged large public gatherings, such as on St. Patrick’s Day Tuesday, and for people to practice social distancing.
Classes are set to be suspended in Manitoba schools on March 23 for three weeks, but daycare centres remain open for the time being.
A new testing site for COVID-19 opened Monday in Thompson, while Winnipeg’s four testing sites had seen more than 1,200 patients in the three days they have been open.
People experiencing flu-like symptoms are asked to contact Health-Links Info Santé at (204) 788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 to speak to a health practitioner before they are assessed. The average wait time to speak to someone is one hour and 43 minutes.
A new online self-assessment will be launched in the coming days.
Effective immediately, only one visitor per patient at a time is allowed in acute care facilities, such as hospitals, across Manitoba. This does not apply to parents of children in hospital.
Health officials are also warning of multiple phishing scams related to COVID-19. Many are asking people for credit card information to provide medication following positive test results. Manitobans are advised to not provide any financial data, hang up on the call and to report to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre at (toll-free) 1-888-495-8501.
Further information on COVID-19 can be found at Manitoba.ca/covid19.
