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Pandemic third wave is here, stricter public health orders likely soon: chief public health officer

Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer says he believes the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has started in the province and that stricter public health orders are likely going to be necessary in the future.
Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin
Manitoba chief public health officer Dr. Brent Roussin

Manitoba’s chief provincial public health officer says he believes the third wave of the COVID-19 pandemic has started in the province and that stricter public health orders are likely going to be necessary in the future.

On April 12, when there were 114 new cases of the virus reported and a test positivity rate of 6.2 per cent, higher than it’s been for several weeks, Dr. Brent Roussin said that further information about potential restrictions will probably be provided later this week.

“I think the third wave is here,” he said. “If we don’t act now we will be right back into stricter restrictions very soon.”

In recent weeks, public health officials are seeing higher numbers of case contacts and more evidence of people holding larger gatherings at their residences.

“We’ve seen a lot of preventable transmission,” Roussin said.

Sixty-two of Monday’s new cases were in Winnipeg while 36 were in the north.

New northern cases included 17 in the Grand Rapids/Misipawistik/Mosakahiken/Moose Lake/Easterville/Chemawawin health district, seven in the Bunibonibee/Oxford House/Manto Sipi/God’s River/God’s Lake health district and four in the Thompson/Mystery Lake health district.

There are 135 Manitobans in hospital due to COVID-19, 57 of them with active infections. Fourteen of those with active infections are in intensive care, as are 19 who are no longer considered infectious.

Twenty-six northerners are in hospital due to the virus, 15 with active infections. Five of those with active infections are in intensive care, as are four others who are no longer considered infectious.

No new deaths linked to the virus were announced in Manitoba on Monday but a man in his 20s from the north was one of the deaths announced April 9. He was the 41st northern resident to die from COVID-19, which has claimed the lives of 949 Manitobans so far.

R.D. Parker Collegiate parents and guardians were informed April 10 that someone who has tested positivie fo COVID-19 was in the school April 6-8 when they may have been infectious, though no close contact have been identified.

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