WINNIPEG — Manitoba reported an all-time high of 173 new probable cases of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on Thursday, bringing the provincial total to 3,098.

One more death was also announced — a man in his 40s from the Winkler district in the Southern Health region with underlying medical conditions. This was a previously announced case.

Dr. Brent Roussin, chief provincial public health officer, says there are 1,517 active cases, 1,533 people have recovered and 25 people are in hospital, including five in the intensive care unit. Thirty-eight people have died.

Thursday’s cases include:

• 6 cases in the Interlake–Eastern health region
• 3 cases in the Northern health region
• 8 cases in the Prairie Mountain Health region
• 23 cases in the Southern Health region
• 133 cases in the Winnipeg health region

Laboratory testing numbers show 2,117 tests were completed yesterday, bringing the total number of lab tests completed since early February to 217,878.

Personal care homes move to red level

Personal care homes in the Winnipeg Metropolitan Region have been elevated to Critical (red) in the Pandemic Response System. This means any new PCH admission will remain isolated for 14 days upon arrival and there will be no new admission to a PCH with a suspected or confirmed outbreak will be paused unless the new resident is already confirmed to be COVID-19 positive.

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 Thursday’s media briefing:

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