Manitoba reached 32,000 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began March 3 with the addition of 51 new positive tests for the virus and the removal of one previously announced case due to a data correction.
Sixty per cent of the cases announced Wednesday were in the north, where there were 30 positive tests. These included 12 new cases in the Island Lake health district, eight in the Cross Lake/Pimicikamak health district, three in the Thompson/Mystery Lake health district and two in the Pukatawagan health district.
There have now been 4,948 cases of COVID-19 in the north since the pandemic began.
Three more Manitobans have died as a result of the virus, pushing to total number of deaths over 900 to 901.
There are 186 people in Manitoban hospitals as a result of the virus, 70 of whom are still considered infectious. Ten of those with active infections are in intensive care, as are 14 other people who are no longer considered infectious. Half the active cases in intensive care are from the north and there are also two northern residents who are no longer infectious currently in ICU. Overall, 24 northerners are hospitalized due to the virus, 17 of them with active infections.
A total of 80,171 COVID vaccine doses have been administered in Manitoba so far, including 50,895 first doses and 29,726 second doses.
Vaccination task force medical lead Dr. Joss Reimer said at a March 3 press conference that guidance expected to be released by the National Advisory Committee on Immunization may extend the maximum time between doses of COVID vaccines to as long as four months and that the province will be shifting to delivering first doses to as many people as possible, though those who have already booked appointments to receive a second dose will be able to keep them.
“These vaccines are providing a significant level of protection after even one dose,” she said.
So far, 4,259 people in the Northern Regional Health Authority have received their first dose of either Pfizer or Moderna vaccine and 809 have received a second dose. As of Feb. 25, 8,366 vaccine doses had been administered to First Nations people, including 6,277 to people living on-reserve and 2,076 to people living off-reserve. About 3,800 of those doses were administered to First Nations people within the boundaries of the NRHA, approximately 400 of which were second doses. 8.1 per cent of First Nations people living on-reserve have received first doses of vaccine and 1.5 per cent have received second doses.
Johanu Botha, co-lead of Manitoba’s vaccine task force, said that about 1,000 people from Wabowden, Snow Lake, Grand Rapids, Misipawistik Cree Nation and Herb Lake Landing are due to receive vaccines in Thompson in the next couple of weeks during the Vaxport pilot phase. Snow Lake residents aged 70 and older were scheduled to travel to Thompson by plane as early as March 5 to receive vaccines with other possible dates for the town’s residents to be vaccinated including March 10 and March 12, provided there is enough interest among other age groups.
Vaccine eligibility was expanded March 3 to include any Manitobans 89 or older and any First Nations person aged 69 or older.
