Manitoba public health officials believe the province is clearly at the start of its fourth wave of COVID-19, according to the provincial government’s Sept. 27 pandemic news release.
Two more people have died as a result of the virus, taking the total number of deaths in Manitoba since the pandemic began to 1,209 and there have been 366 new positive tests for COVID-19 over the previous four days – 60 on Friday, 100 on Saturday, 113 on Sunday and 93 on Monday. Most of these cases have been in the southern health region, with Winnipeg recording the second most.
25 new cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the province’s north over the previous four days, including eight on Monday. Six of Monday’s new infections are in people who are not fully vaccinated.
The north currently has 83 active cases. according to the province’s COVID-19 website, but the health district by health district breakdown lists only 74 – 25 in Norway House, 21 in The Pas/Opaskwyak/Kelsey, 16 in the Island Lake district and 12 in Cross Lake/Pimicikamak. The Churchill Health centre said Sept. 27 that there are two active cases of the virus in the Hudson Bay port town and six people have recovered from their infections. Health services in Churchill are overseen by the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority.
67 per cent of Manitoba’s new infections on Monday were in unvaccinated people, with 28 per cent in fully vaccinated people and five per cent in partially vaccinated people. 65 per cent of active cases are in non-vaccinated people, as are 67 per cent of active cases in hospital and 86 per cent of active cases in intensive care.
There are 77 Manitobans in hospital due to COVID as of Sept. 27, 19 of them in intensive care. Seven northern residents are in hospital, two of them in intensive care.
The five-day test positivity rate is 2.7 per cent but only 1.2 per cent in Winnipeg.
Some Manitobans are now eligible to receive a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including residents and staff of First Nations personal care homes, people with compromised immune systems and those who need the dose for travel reasons, as well as those who previously received doses of vaccines that are not approved by Health Canada. Personal care home residents throughout the province will have third doses offered to them in October.
The winners of Manitoba’s second vaccine lottery will be announced in early October. Anyone 18 or over who received two doses by vaccine by Sept. 6 is eligible to win $100,000. Ten $25,000 scholarships will be awarded to youth aged 12 to 17 who have received two doses of vaccine.
