Manitoba reported fewer than 100 new cases of COVID-19 for the first time since mid-October on Jan. 12.
Ninety-two new cases of the virus were reported on Tuesday. Forty-four were in the Winnipeg health region, 22 in the Prairie Mountain health region and nine in the Northern Regional Health Authority (NRHA).
The 25th death of a northerner was reported Jan. 12 – a man in his 50s from the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/God’s River/God’s Lake health district.
There were seven other COVID-related deaths around the province, bringing the total since the pandemic began to 748. There are 302 people in hospital due to COVID, 138 of them with infections that are still considered active. Twenty-one Manitobans are in intensive care with active COVID-19 infections while another 14 in intensive care are no longer considered infectious.
Twenty-one northerners are in hospital with active cases of COVID-19 along with two who are no longer considered infectious. Three of the northern residents with active cases are in intensive care.
The test positivity rate in the province is 10.1 per cent.
Acting deputy chief provincial public health officer Dr. Jazz Atwal said at a media briefing on Tuesday that the province does take into account where the virus is spreading when looking at its restrictions and said part of the reason why First Nations people make up a large percentage of Manitoba’s current active cases has to do with overcrowding in some communities that makes it difficult or impossible to self-isolate but that many cases are among First Nations people living off-reserve.
“Just because it’s a First Nations cases doesn’t mean it’s in a small remote community,” he said.
Manitoba Health and Senior Care medical officer of health Dr. Joss Reimer, a member of the province’s COVID-19 vaccine implementation task force, said there has been a fifth adverse reaction to a COVID-19 vaccine since last week but that all five people who hd reactions have recovered.
Reimer also said people declining to be vaccinated is not as significant as those who would like to be but don’t meet current eligibility requirements.
“Our main struggle is just not having enough doses for everyone who wants one,” she said.
