Manitoba reported only a single new positive test for COVID-19 April 21, as the number of active cases fell below 100.
There are now 255 cases of the novel coronavirus in Manitoba and six people have died from their infections. Seven people are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 and four of them are in intensive care. About 60 per cent of Manitobans who contracted COVID-19 - 150 - are now listed was recovered, while there are 99 active cases.
The number of cases in the Northern Regional Health Authority area remains at three.
On Monday, 314 tests for COVID-19 were conducted at Cadham Provincial Laboratory and a total of 20,319 have been done since early February.
As the number of tests being conducted has dropped, testing criteria has been expanded and now includes symptomatic people who have travelled outside of the province, who live in remote or northern communities, who live in remote work camps, in congregate settings like correctional facilities and first responders as well as their family members.
“Our capacity is higher than the amount of samples w’eve been receiving," said chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin. “If the demand remains low then we’re going to start expanding.”
Manitoba chief nursing officer Lanette Siragusa said people who are visiting any health-care facility should wear a cloth mask to protect others as should patients and clients of health care facilities who are using public transit, hand-transit or taxis.
Roussin said no enforcement of the travel ban to Northern Manitoba is in effect yet.
“The enforcement measures are still being looked at for that,” he said, adding that travel restrictions would likely remain in place even as limits on public gatherings and non-essential business operations begin to be lifted sometime down the road.
