WINNIPEG — Manitoba health officials say one person is hospitalized in stable condition due to mild symptoms related to COVID-19 (coronavirus).

As of Thursday morning, there were 17 lab-confirmed positive and presumptive positive cases of the virus.

One of the cases announced late Wednesday hasn’t yet been linked to travel, as officials work to confirm its transmission.

The province now has 266 ventilators and has ordered an additional 16, which are expected to arrive soon.

All Manitoba health-care facilities will soon begin implementing enhanced precautions and protocols which will involve additional visitor restrictions. Exceptions for compassionate reasons will continue to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Beginning today, a medicine unit at Health Sciences Centre Winnipeg will be relocated existing clinical space in the former HSC Women’s Pavilion at 735 Notre Dame Avenue to enable the movement of patients within the hospital campus to create a 30-bed isolation unit.

Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, is stressing continued social distancing, frequent hand washing, no close contact with others (within two metres for less than 10 minutes) and not to travel at this time. Anyone who recently returned from an international destination is asked to self-isolate for 14 days and monitor their symptoms.

More screening sites opening

Two new drive-thru screening sites are opening for COVID-19 testing on Friday. One will be in Winnipeg at the Manitoba Public Insurance Service Centre at 15 Barnes Street (near Bison Drive), and in Steinbach at the Community Health Services Building at 365 Reimer Avenue from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All MPI customer appointments scheduled at the Winnipeg location will be cancelled. Impacted customers will be contacted directly and advised of their alternative options.

There are four existing sites in Winnipeg, as well as locations in Brandon, Thompson, Flin Flon, The Pas and Selkirk.

Testing is conducted on a referral basis only and must be scheduled by calling Health Links — Info Santé at (204) 788-8200 or toll-free at 1-888-315-9257 before arriving at a testing site.

Further information on COVID-19 can be found at Manitoba.ca/covid19.