Northern Manitoba passed 6,100 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began with the addition of 23 new cases reported by the province April 6.
There were eight new cases in the Island Lake health district, five in the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/God’s River/God’s Lake health district, three in the Thompson/Mystery Lake health district and two in The Pas/Opaskwyask/Kelsey health district. Four other health districts reported one new case each and there was one from an unknown district.
Across Manitoba there were 62 new cases, including 33 in Winnipeg, four in the Prairie Mountain health region and one each in the southern and Interlake-Eastern health regions.
140 Manitobans are in hospital due to the virus, 66 of them with active infections. Fourteen of those with active infections are in intensive care as are 16 people who are no longer considered infectious.
There are 29 northerners in hospital due to COVID, 22 of whom have active infections. Six of those 22 are in intensive care, as are three other northern residents who are no longer considered infectious.
Two new deaths were announced on Tuesday, making the total since the pandemic began 942. The five-day test positivity rate is 5.3 per cent provincially.
A potential exposure may have occurred on a Perimeter Air flight from St. Theresa Point to Winnipeg March 28.
In the two weeks prior to April 6, much of which was spring break, there have been 17 COViD-19 cases among people connected to schools in Northern Manitoba, including four in Flin Flon, one in The Pas and two in Moose Lake. Ten of the cases have been connected to Thompson schools, including five affecting R.D. Parker Collegiate students or staff, two affecting Juniper School and Westwood School students or staff and one affecting a Deerwood School student or staff member. Cases linked to schools were not necessarily acquired at school and notification letters are not sent out in all circumstances.
Five more cases involving the B.1.1.7 or United Kingdom variant have been detected, all in the Winnipeg region. There have now been 240 cases involving that variant, 20 involving the B.1.351 or South Africa variant and 15 that have not been categorized in Manitoba, for a total of 275.
Chief provincial public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin said at a press conference April 6 that he expects every Manitoban who wants to have a first dose of COVID-19 vaccine will be able to do so by the summer, if supplies are available. He also said the third wave of the pandemic that is currently affecting Ontario will arrive in Manitoba and that it is a question of seeing if enough people can get vaccinated before it does to lessen its effects.
