WINNIPEG — Manitoba reported an all-time high of 124 new probable cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on Tuesday, bringing the provincial total to 2,779.
A 35th death was also announced — a man in his 70s from the rural east district in Southern Health. This was a previously announced case.
Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, says there are 1,248 active cases, 1,496 people have recovered and 28 people are in hospital, including five in the intensive care unit. Thirty-five people have died.
Tuesday’s cases include:
• 16 cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region
• 1 case in the Northern health region
• 3 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• 9 cases in the Southern Health region
• 95 cases in the Winnipeg health region
Laboratory testing numbers show 2,383 tests were completed Friday, 3,311 were completed Saturday, 2,049 were completed Sunday and 2,188 were completed yesterday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February to 213,669.
Possible exposures
• Winnipeg Adult Education Centre at 310 Vaughan St. in Winnipeg on Oct. 5. Based on the public health investigation, the risk of this exposure was assessed to be low. The infection was not believed to be acquired at school. The cohort is being advised to self-monitor for symptoms and seek testing if symptoms develop.
• Daniel McIntyre Collegiate at 720 Alverstone St. in Winnipeg on Sept. 29, 30 and Oct. 1. Based on the public health investigation, the risk of this exposure was assessed to be low. The infection was not believed to be acquired at school. The cohort is being advised to self-monitor for symptoms and seek testing if symptoms develop.
• Dakota Collegiate at 661 Dakota St. in Winnipeg with two cases on Oct. 6 and Oct. 5, 6, and 7. Based on the public health investigation, the risk of these exposures was assessed to be low and are not linked. The infection was not believed to be acquired at school. Close contacts to one of the cases have been contacted to quarantine. The rest of the cohorts are being advised to self-monitor for symptoms and seek testing if symptoms develop.
• Dufferin School, 545 Alexander Ave., Winnipeg on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, this is the second case from the same cohort as a previous case at the school. This cohort and other close contacts have been advised to self-isolate (quarantine). While the investigation was not able to confirm if transmission took place at the school, the risk to the school community is still considered low.
More testing sites coming
Three new additional testing sites, two in Winnipeg and one in Brandon will open in the next several weeks, bringing the total of nine drive-thru test sites in Manitoba, which will remain available on a first-come, first-serve basis. The drive-thru site at 1066 Nairn Avenue in Winnipeg opened Tuesday and the additional Winnipeg location at 125 King Edward Street East is expected to open in late October. A drive-thru site will open in Brandon at the Keystone Centre on Oct. 17.
The province says it’s also working on rolling out an appointment-based scheduling system for testing. Manitobans who are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms will be able to call or go online to schedule an appointment to get tested. Further details will be released in the coming weeks.
Any person concerned about their exposure to or risk of having COVID-19 no longer has to call Health Links — Info Santé to be screened for a test. Anyone with symptoms is still encouraged to use the online screening tool to determine whether they meet the necessary criteria to attend a community testing site.
Watch Tuesday’s media briefing:
Further information on COVID-19 can be found at Manitoba.ca/covid19.
